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ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 
WITH NULLOS 



Acknowledgment is made to the Publishers of the. 
NEW YORK SUN for permission to use, as the basis 
of this book, the articles that have appeared in its 
columns. 



ROYAL 
AUCTION BRIDGE 

WITH NULLOS 



BY 



R. F. FOSTER 

Author of ^'Foster's Complete Hoyle^ ' '* Auction Bridge 

Up-to-Date;' etc. 

INCLUDING THE OFFICIAL LAWS OF ROYAL 

AUCTION BRIDGE AS ADOPTED BY THE 

WHIST CLUB OF NEW YORK, 

NOVEMBER, 1913 



4 



NEW YORK 

FREDERICK A. STOKES COMPANY 

PUBLISHERS 



^^'"'^'^ 



,^\' 



v"* 



\ 



Copyright^ jgj4, by 
Frederick A. Stokes Company 

Copyright^ igi2^ by 
Frederick A. Stokes Company 



All rights reserved. 




JAN 17 1914 

C/CI,A362202 



CONTENTS 

CHAPTER PAGE 

PART I 

^ I. Introduction i 

II. The New Count 6 

III. First Principles 19 

IV. Three Uses for the Spade Call . 29 
V. Answer to the One-Spade Bid . . 39 

VI. Answer to the Two-Spade Call . 49 

VII. Answer to the Bid of One Royal . 58 

VIII. Answer to the Suit Calls ... 68 

IX. Combining the Hands in Declar- 
ing ^^ 

X. Dealer's Defence with Weak Hands 86 

XL Inferences from the Bidding . . 96 

XII. Importance of the Club Suit . . 106 

XIII. Bidding on Commonplace Hands . 116 

XIV. Speculative Bids 127 

XV. Trying for Game 138 

XVI. Declaring on Length 147 

XVII. Bids Influence Bids 157 

XVIII. Assist or Double? 167 

XIX. Four Trick Bids 177 

PART II 

XX. Value of a Trick in Play . . .187 

XXL Unblocking Long Suits .... 196 

V 



VI 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



CHAPTER 
XXII. 

XXIII. 

XXIV. 

XXV. 

XXVI. 

XXVII. 

XXVIII. 

XXIX. 

XXX. 

XXXI. 

XXXII. 

XXXIII. 

XXXIV. 

XXXV. 

XXXVI. 

XXXVII. 

XXXVIII. 

XXXIX. 

XL. 

XLI. 

XLII. 

XLIII. 



PAGE 



Elimination — A Process that 
Saves the Player Many Tricks 209 



False Carding .... 
A-J-io Finesse .... 

Bad Finesses 

Getting Rid of Losing Cards 
Holding up an Adverse Suit 
Risks to Win Game . . 
Establishing a Suit . 
Re-entry Cards . . 
The Echo . . . . . 
The Rule of Eleven 
Play of the Second Hand 
Honor on Honor . 
Beating Dummy . 
The Nullo Declarations 
Scoring at Nullos . 
The Bidding at Nullos . 
Taking the Partner Out 
Playing a Nullo Hand . 
Planning the Play in Advance 
Control of the Lead at Nullos 
Playing Against a Nullo . 
Laws of Royal Auction Bridge 



219 
228 
238 

245 

253 
264 

268 

278 

288 

295 

303 
312 

321 

326 

328 

340 
342 

345 
347 
350 

355 



INTRODUCTION 

Whist was a good game until they invented bridge, 
and bridge was a good game until they started to play 
auction. Auction was the best game of all until they 
suggested royals. This new game, having met and 
overcome every defect in the old, is regarded as the 
best card game for four players in the world to-day and 
will probably hold for the next ten years the places 
held, each for a decade, by whist and then by bridge. 

Whist had the defect that the trump was determined 
by pure chance and that many of the strongest hands 
were wasted because the trump did not suit them. 
Bridge remedied that defect by allowing the dealer to 
select the trump and permitting his adversaries to 
double its value if they thought the selection a bad one 
for him. 

But bridge had the defect that the dealer and his 
partner had a monopoly of the declaration, and while 
it was undoubtedly an improvement on whist it did not 
go far enough, because no matter how good the hands 
held by the non-dealers they had nothing to say about 
selecting the trump that would best fit their hands. 
Auction remedied this by allowing each player at the 
table a chance to pick out the suit and letting the man 
with the best cards play them for their full value. 

But auction in its turn had the defect that the values 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



of the suits were not equitably adjusted, the advantage 
still being largely with the color of the cards dealt. 
With two of the four suits in the pack one might easily 
go game on the deal. With the other two suits this 
was impossible if either of them was the trump. 

This forced the partners who held the black suits 
to take long chances in order to get something out of 
their cards and prompted the player who held the red 
suits either to outbid them or to sit still and slaughter 
their no-trumpers. 

A man might hold the ten top cards in either of the 
black suits and be outbid by a player with five hearts 
or diamonds. All he could win would be from ten to 
twenty points and he might lose lOO if he overbid his 
hand a single trick. He could never go game unless 
he went no-trump and then he stood to lose any- 
where from 50 points to 1,000, if the hand went wrong. 

Under the new system of scoring in royals this ob- 
jection is completely overcome, as each player at the 
table can afford to bid on any suit, all four offering a 
fair chance of going game on the hand, just as the 
red suits alone did in the old game of auction. Instead 
of the wide disparity between the values of the red and 
the black they are now only a point apart and a player 
will have to bid three diamonds to overcall three clubs, 
while in the older game three diamonds would have 
forced the club hand to bid five by cards. 

This new method of scoring completely changes the 
value of every player's hand either individually or com- 
paratively and necessitates an entirely new method of 
bidding. The old system of declarations by one part- 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



ner and support by the other is worthless in playing 
royals, because the information is no longer restricted 
to the difference between the red cards and the black, 
between hands that are good for nothing unless the 
partner has a no-trumper and those which are strong 
enough to stand alone. There are no longer any weak 
suits as distinguished from strong suits, so called, be- 
cause all the suits are winning suits now. 

In auction when a player bid two in hearts he prac- 
tically told his partner to let him alone, even if he 
had three sure tricks in clubs and seven in spades, 
and the partner sat there and said nothing, although 
he might not have a heart in his hand. It was only 
when he had the other red suit, which was also a win- 
ning suit, that he dared to interfere with the original 
declaration. Now he can show his strength, no matter 
where it is, as six cards in a black suit are just as good 
as six cards in a red one. 

In auction, with the penalty on one spade limited to 
lOO points, that suit was reserved for safety bids and 
nothing else. Statistics, which will be found on p. 30, 
show that in auction 40 per cent, of the dealer's decla- 
rations were safety spades. Two-spade bids, to en- 
courage the partner to go no trumps, did not come up 
more than three times in 100 deals, and were not re- 
sponded to more than once in three times. 

The club suit, in auction, was kept for supporting 
and suggesting possible no-trumpers, not being de- 
clared more than five times in 100 deals, and it did 
not materialize into a no-trumper more than once in 
four times when it was declared. All the player had 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



left to fight with was the hearts and the diamonds, so 
that the game was practically divided into four ele- 
ments — two fighting units, one lame duck, and one 
dead suit. 

In royals this is all changed. The safety bid is still 
there, as it should be, like the white chip at poker ; but 
this spade suit is still a good fighting suit if it has any 
strength to it, and takes its place along with the three 
others, so that the player has all four arms of the 
service, horse, foot, artillery and engineers, at his dis- 
posal in royals, while in auction he had nothing but the 
cavalry and artillery, the engineers being left in the 
ditch at the start and the infantry being too slow to 
get anywhere near the fighting line. 

The main reliance of the old game was on the hos- 
pital service, which kept one side from losing more 
than lOO men at a time. The other part of it was a 
series of desperate no-trumpers, which reminded one 
of the charge of the Light Brigade at Balaklava both 
in conception and results. 

This being so, it must be evident that all the old text- 
books on auction bridge will be useless for the new 
game so far as the system of communication between 
partners is concerned, and that the player who wishes 
to keep up with the times and get the most out of his 
cards must study tactics that will better fit the new 
conditions. 

The bridge player who took up auction had to dis- 
abuse his mind of many of his pet notions about makes, 
especially in the red suits, and one of the strong points 
in the best text-books on auction was the insistence on 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



the importance of the player's getting bridge out of 
his system. 

The same is true to-day of royals. The methods by 
which partners came to an understanding of the pos- 
sibilities of their combined hands in auction will be 
found not only useless but misleading in playing royals, 
because the chief object of the partnership is no 
longer to arrive at a no-trumper, but to avoid penalties. 
With wider experience this will undoubtedly be found 
to be the keynote of the new game. 

The recent addition of the nullo declaration to the 
standard game seems to be gaining in popularity to 
such an extent as fully to justify its inclusion in the 
present edition. It appears to have been the one thing 
needed to equalize matters more fully in the bidding 
for the privilege of playing the dummy and scoring 
toward game. 

It is notorious that when one side has a run of high 
cards and long winning suits, there is nothing the 
weaker hands can do to save rubber after rubber un- 
less they risk adding to the value of those rubbers by 
the generally condemned practice of flag-flying. 

With the advent of the nullo bid the weaker hands 
are put in possession of a weapon which enables them 
to force the stronger hands to declare up to their full 
value or forego the play. Many a no-trumper that 
gets the contract cheaply and goes game with three by 
cards could never win the game if it could be safely 
forced to bid four tricks. With the nullo at his dis- 
posal, there is no combination of cards on which a 
player cannot make some sort of a stand. 



II 

THE NEW COUNT 

There are many persons who cannot understand why 
it should be that first-class players and teachers who 
objected so strongly to the royal spade are in favor of 
the lily, which is nothing but a royal spade under an- 
other name. 

Their change of front is not with regard to the royal 
spade at all, which is now only a part of the game that 
they are calling lilies. The objection to the royal spade 
was that it spoiled the game of auction bridge. Their 
indorsement of it is because it forms an integral and 
important part of the game of lilies. 

History gives an exactly parallel case. Thousands 
of poker players rebelled against the introduction of 
the straight and for several years could not agree as 
to whether it beat two pairs or triplets. All they did 
agree to was that it spoiled the game, and was more 
or less of a nuisance. But the moment the straight 
was combined with the flush to make a straight flush 
and provide against the contingency of any player's 
betting upon an invincible hand the straight was wel- 
comed with open arms by players of every grade. 

The most important card clubs in this country to- 
day. The Whist Club of New York and the New York 
Bridge Whist Club^ have both adopted what is called 
the new count, which is shown in the following table : 

6 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



Spades .... 2 

Clubs 6 

Diamonds . 7 
Hearts .... 8 

Lilies 9 

No trumps . 10 



Simple honors. . 4 
Simple honors. . 12 
Simple honors. . 14 
Simple honors. . 16 
Simple honors. . 18 
Three aces 30 



Four honors. . 8 
Four honors. .24 
Four honors. .28 
Four honors. .32 
Four honors. .36 
Four honors. .40 



The manner of counting the four honors in one hand 
at double value, four aces in one hand as 100 and 
reckoning slams at 20 and 40 remains the same. Chi- 
cane is the value of simple honors. 

The advantage of this game over the original game 
of auction lies in its elasticity and fairness. The suit 
values at auction were not properly balanced, having 
been borrowed from bridge, which was a monopoly, 
while auction allows free competition. In order to win 
at auction under the old count a man not only had to 
hold good cards but cards of a certain color. He might 
hold all the black cards in the pack and be outbid by 
a player with seven little hearts and a trick in dia- 
monds. 

As C. P. Cadley, one of the crack players at the New 
York Bridge Whist Club puts it, "They have always 
been talking about the poker element in auction being 
one of its attractions, but now auction beats poker, be- 
cause the man whose judgment is sound on the value 
of his hand can always get out of it what it is worth, 
according to the hands opposed. 

"The one spade bid by the dealer is just like the 
blind or betting a white chip after the draw at poker 
to see what the others think about their hands and get 



8 ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 

a line on the comparative value of your own. But once 
the thing is started any man has a chance to bid his 
hand up to the limit and every suit has a show to go 
game. When a dealer does not want to chip along 
with a one spade bid he can put up his red checks for 
the limit at once if he likes by declaring a red suit or 
no trumps. 

''In the old game there were only two suits that were 
worth anything, and if a man bid on the other two he 
was simply assuming a big risk for nothing, like a per- 
son going into a jackpot with an inside straight to 
draw to. As the game stands now under the new count 
he has all four suits to fight with, the original spade 
call by the dealer meaning practically nothing at all 
but a white chip to start things up.'' 

"And the result of it?" he was asked. 

"The result will be that the good player will get 
something for his skill, if he holds good cards, no mat- 
ter what color they are, and it will also cut down those 
big rubbers and tend to make the general run of play- 
ers less afraid of the game, because the bidding will 
be placed on a sounder basis and there will not be the 
same mad rush to make it no trumps on the black suits 
because that is the only way to win anything with 
them.'' 

In one thing Mr. Cadley is certainly right. The 
new count will make a great difiference in the bidding 
in those hands in which the black suits are massed in 
one hand or between partners. Many a fine black suit 
has been forced to waste its strength because it could 
not overcall a red suit or dare not go to no trumps 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



on its high cards alone. As an example of the old 
style methods of handling a long black suit against 
superior strength take this hand : 



^ Q lO 2 

* 10 7 5 2 
Q lO 9 7 3 

♦ 9 



z 


> 9 7 


4- 


3 








« J 9 


8 










K J 


6 


5 








♦ lO 3 




^ 


K 


J 






Y 




6 




A 


B 





K 


6 


4 




Z 




^ 


A 


K 


J 8 


^ 


A 8 


5 




* A Q 


3 










A 8 


4 


2 








# 


Q 6 


2 











7 5 4- 



Z dealt and bid one no trump. A passed, not feeling 
equal to two diamonds. The bid suited Y, so he 
passed, but B wanted to show his partner what to 
lead^ so he doubled, that being the conventional invita- 
tion to lead a spade when the no-trumper is declared 
on the left and no other bid has been made that would 
be a guide. 

There was nothing for the others to do but to pass, 
so A led his top spade. B saw he could drop the queen 
if A had another spade, but failing in this he went on 
to clear the suit, having two possible reentries, A dis- 
carding a diamond and a club. 

In order to get the finesse against B, who had the 
spades, Z led the ace of diamonds, intending to follow 
with a small one, put on the king and lead a club from 
dummy, A having discarded that suit. But when B 



10 ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 

fell out on the diamond Z put on the jack from dummy, 
B discarding a heart and a club. 

When Y led the club jack B covered and Z won 
with the ace. Another diamond and A's ten forced Y's 
king, B now discarding a spade. When Z failed to 
drop the ten of clubs with the queen Z made his ace of 
hearts and abandoned the rest of the tricks, having 
made his contract at double rates and 50 points penalty. 

Give this hand to four persons playing the new count 
and there will be no difference in the bidding until it 
gets round to B. Instead of doubling, to tell his part- 
ner to lead a spade, he will declare two lilies, on which 
he does not run so much risk as he does in doubling 
a no-trumper. If Z overcalls with two no trumps he 
will be set for 50 points without doubling and A will 
know what to lead. If Z lets B play the hand for two 
lilies B wins without any trouble. 

Z would naturally begin with the ace of diamonds, 
which B would ruff. As dummy cannot rufif anything 
B would take out two rounds of trumps and then play 
the king of hearts. Z's only play would be to force B 
again, and B would lead the jack of hearts, overtaking 
it with the queen, so as to lead a high diamond. 

If Y does not cover B discards a losing club. If Y 
covers B trumps^ puts A in again with a heart, makes 
a trick with dummy's queen of diamonds and forces Z's 
last trump with the fifth diamond, so that all the tricks 
Y and Z would make would be the two aces and the 
queen of trumps, leaving B four by cards and the game 
in lilies, which is quite a different result from losing 
74 points and 30 aces. 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



II 



Here is an illustration of how a black suit may suc- 
cessfully compete against a red, which was almost im- 
possible in the old game on account of the size of the 
losses if the hand went wrong : 









^ 4< 
















« A 


Q 


J 


8 6 3 










8 


7 










K lO 


9 


♦ A 


Q 


7 


4 

<;:? A J 




^ 


7 




Y 




8 5 


A 


K 4- 






A 




B 


* lO 7 


5 





Q J 


4- 




A A 




JU^ 


A lO 


6 5 


♦ 


lO 6 


5 


3 




Z 




♦ 






^ 


Q 


6 


3 










4 9 


2 














K 


9 


3 












♦ 


K 


J 


9 


8 2 





Playing under the old count, Z dealt and bid a spade. 
A passed and Y called a club. When B declared a 
heart Y took a chance on two clubs, as he was short 
of hearts, hoping to push B up a bit. This is a fair 
sample of the sort of thing that a player was forced 
into with the black suits in the old game. Y cannot 
possibly win in clubs even if he makes a grand slam 
and he is simply risking the loss of two or three hun- 
dred points for the sake of winning eight or of setting 
B back for 50 extra. 

B went two hearts and Y had nothing more to say, 
as no player will undertake a four trick contract that 
cannot go game unless the situation is desperate. 

Z led the club and Y led back the short diamond on 



12 ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 

which B put the ace, giving up the jack from dummy. 
B then led the ace and another trump, finessing the 
nine. A picked up Z's queen and led the club^ Y win- 
ning and leading another diamond which went to Z's 
king. Z led a spade which B rufifed. A trumped the 
third club and led the small diamond, which B won, 
getting four by cards and the game, which was what 
he was playing for when he saw that he must catch the 
queen of trumps to go game on the hand. 

Play this hand on the new count with clubs worth 
six and lilies worth nine and B never gets a look in. 
Z will start with a spade, but as soon as Y shows the 
clubs and B bids a heart Z will shift to a lily, as he 
has the hearts stopped. If B goes two hearts Z passes, 
waiting for Y, and it does not matter whether Y goes 
back to clubs or supports the lily he goes game on the 
hand in a walk, as all that A and B can make is two 
aces, the finesse in clubs lying right for Y and Z. 

The trick of lying low for penalties in the old game 
and driving players back into bids that would cost 
them money led to many interesting auctions in the old 
style. Here is a rather remarkable instance of a player 
who was fishing for penalties being smoked out at last 
greatly to his own benefit^ as his partner was the one 
to put the information to the best use. 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



13 





9? 


• • 






A 10 6 








10 7 4- 








4 


► K Q J 


8 7 
^ A 


5 3 2 


^ 9 




Y 


K Q 8 5 2 


* K Q J 9 8 


5 2 


A B 


Jk A 


7 3 


K J 8 




5 


3 


♦ A 6 




Z 


♦ 9 
6 4- 


4- 




^ J 10 7 


3 




4^ 4. 







A Q 9 6 2 

^ 10 



Z dealt and started with a heart, a poor bid, by the 
way, because there is not a trick in the suit ; but that 
is not the point of the story. A bid two clubs and Y 
went four spades, so as to encourage his partner to 
keep on with the hearts. B, in the high grass for that 
heart make, went three clubs, as if he were afraid of 
hearts. Z fell for it and bid two hearts without any 
hesitation. 

A, never dreaming what his partner's game was, and 
still afraid of those hearts^ wxnt four clubs, and B had 
to pass, as his little scheme was knocked on the head, 
when to his astonishment Z, who began to suspect 
something, shifted to three diamonds. 

This A doubled, as he could not see nine tricks for 
Y and Z against his cards and his partner supporting 
his club bid. Y redoubled and poor B, fearing that 
his partner had got himself into a scrape, had to ac- 
knowledge that he was smoked out and bid three hearts, 
which Z doubled. 



14 ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 

~~~~~~~~ — ~"~~~~~ — ~ — -»-- — — - — — — — — -— — ---- — — -'•'-- — -..-_______. .«^^ 

A now woke up to the true situation, but instead of 
redoubling Z^ which might not have been a profitable 
game, he at once went no trumps and made five by 
cards on the contract without any trouble. 

Play this hand on the new count and the bidding is 
entirely diflferent, though perhaps not so interesting. 
Z will start with a spade and A will overcall with a 
club, but Y will bid a lily instead of four spades. This 
will smoke B out on the first round, and unless he de- 
clares two in hearts now the fight will be between A 
and Y on the black suits. 

If B bid two hearts Z would double and A would 
have a nice little problem as to whether he should go 
two no trumps, knowing he must drop his ace of 
spades on the very first trick and might find the ace of 
clubs against him, or whether he should bid three 
clubs and force Y to three lilies. 

Y would lose on three lilies, the hands being good 
for only two by cards, but A would go game in either 
clubs at six a trick or in no trumps at ten a trick. The 
three club bid is unquestionably the better call for A, 
as it is safer and will also encourage B to support it, 
as he has the ace. 

If the hand is played as a club Y will lead the 
spade, as he has no hearts, and A will win it with the 
ace. By leading two winning trumps from his own 
hand A keeps the lead and plays a heart, comes back 
with a heart from B's hand and discards the losing 
spade. After that he will come through with a diamond 
and finesse the jack if Z does not put on the ace. 

No matter how Z plays to the diamond lead A must 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



15 



get two tricks in that suit, as he can always put B in 
with a trump^ which is the object in keeping B's ace 
of trumps. This line of play will give A a little slam 
in clubs, worth 30 points, and the game. B would lose 
on the three heart contract and Z would lose on the 
double of a two heart bid. 

There are a number of interesting details that will 
have to be decided by time and experience, especially 
in the matter of inviting the partner to go no trumps. 
This was a strong point in the old game of auction 
and dependence on the dealer for the strength to jus- 
tify the invitation was the key to the third hand's decla- 
rations. 

Here is a hand taken from one of the earliest text- 
books on auction : 







^ 


A 


9 


6 ' 


4. 3 






A 7 


6 


5 4. 






J 


4. 


2 




• • • 


# 


9 








^ 






Y 




9? K J 10 8 


♦ A K Q 


8 


2 


A 




B 


* J 3 


10 9 7 


5 






A Q 8 


♦ K 10 7 


2 






Z 




♦ 6 3 




^ 


Q 


7 










A 10 9 











► K 


6 


3 





5 2 



♦ A Q J 8 5 4. 



Z dealt, at the score of love-all, and according to the 
system of those days declared two spades in order to 
show that he had strength enough in that suit to sup- 
port a no-trumper, the possible outside trick making 



1 6 ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 

up for the break in the winning sequence of spades. 
This puts it up to A, who doubles, to show his two pos- 
sible stoppers, in case it is B and not Y that has the 
no-trumper. 

The declaration being to make two tricks, the limit 
of penalties is taken ofif and Y-Z stand to lose lOO 
points a trick. All that Y knows about Z's hand is 
that he has a few tricks in spades^ enough to help out a 
no-trumper, but it may be a bust outside, or it may 
not. As Y is very weak in spades and knows Z can- 
not shift without a hint, Y shows his longest suit, 
hearts, by calling that. This B doubles. 

It now appears to Z that the best way out of the 
mess is a no-trumper, if his partner has some hearts 
and Z lies on the right side of the doubler with the 
queen, so Z goes no trumps, which A doubles, although 
he might have felt himself justified in going two no 
trumps so as to play the hand and try for game. This 
would have succeeded, as A can make three by cards if 
Y leads. On the double he won 300 in penalties, which 
the books say is worth a game refused. 

A made five club tricks and then led the top diamond, 
finessing the eight from B's hand and forcing the 
king from Z, who had discarded one diamond and two 
spades. Z tried to clear his spades, but A held off the 
second round so as to get the tenace or force Z to 
shift. 

This brought about a rather interesting situation. Z 
led a diamond so as to compel B to lead hearts, in 
which suit he had only king jack ten left. But Z over- 
looked his own discard and when he let go the small 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE I7 

heart on the third round of diamonds B could count A 
for the queen of hearts alone, or no hearts at all, so 
he led the king, knocking ace and queen together. This 
gave B two heart tricks at the end, although the king 
of spades died. 

As Z wins only four tricks of the contract to get 
seven, doubled, he is out 300 points, all of which is due 
to a forced bid at the start. Had he refused to overcall 
the doubled heart he would have lost at least 200 points 
on that contract, Y playing the hand, unless A had 
overcalled with a no-trumper, which would have cost 
Z the game. 

The system forces Z to step beyond the limits of 
safety to invite a no-trumper with a two spade call 
when his hand is not good for two by cards in spades, 
although he could make the odd if A leads. This could 
all have been avoided if his partner had had the right 
to change the value of the suit without changing the 
suit itself from two points to nine a trick, at the same 
time reducing the contract from two spades to one by 
declaring a royal. 

This is a safe call, as no dealer under the new count 
would be justified in bidding two spades unless he were 
willing to play the hand for one royal. This brings us 
face to face with the first requirement of the new 
game, a clear understanding of the hands on which a 
player should bid one spade, two spades, or one royal 
originally, and what his partner should do with them. 

In the hand given if B overcalls with two hearts he 
can have it, as Z's hand is not good for two by cards. 



l8 ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 

It would be Y's business to go on to two royals if he 
had the cards. 

If B overcalled Z's royal with two hearts A would 
probably go no trumps, as he has no hearts. No matter 
what A and B may do Y and Z run no risks, as there is 
no misunderstanding between them as to the possibil- 
ities of the combined hands. 



Ill 

FIRST PRINCIPLES 

One of the first things that a person taking up royals 
will find essential to his success will be a clear under- 
standing of the precise meaning of the various calls 
made by the dealer originally, especially in the spade 
suit. This knowledge will be necessary whether he be 
second hand or the dealer's partner, because upon this 
foundation will be found to rest the superstructure 
upon which the safety of all secondary declarations 
will depend. 

The natural starting point in bridge was the no- 
trumper, and the spade make was worked down to as 
a sort of last resort. But in royals, even more than in 
auction, the system of declarations starts from the safe 
ground of hands which at bridge would have been 
passed makes. At auction this w^as the one spade call, 
and at royals it will still be one spade when it is not 
good enough for one royal. 

Trifling as this distinction may appear at first sight, 
and lightly as it has been passed over by those who 
have so far attempted to teach the game, its impor- 
tance will become apparent when its bearing upon all 
the later bids has been examined. Statistics for 500 
deals analyzed for the declarations at auction seemed 
to show that 40 per cent, of the hands were original 
spade calls for the dealer when judged by a certain 
standard of declaring. 

19 



20 ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 

But the moment this system is changed, as it must 
be under the new count, we inevitably change the per- 
centage of declarations that fall into the various divi- 
sions of that system, and this naturally affects the 
whole scheme, so that the principles deduced from a 
series of hands at auction are worthless when applied 
to royals. 

THE SCALE OF DECLARATIONS 

Before we can intelligently apply any system of 
measurement to a hand of thirteen cards we must 
agree upon some scale of units by which this measure- 
ment may be expressed. That is we must have some 
test rules by which hands may be judged and classified 
as spade bids, heart bids, no-trumpers and so on, or we 
are simply guessing at it. 

It does not matter much what the scale of measure- 
ment may be, because if any individual does not agree 
with it in any particular part all he need do is to throw 
out that unit and use his own in its place. 

If the standard which we purpose adopting in these 
pages says that a dealer should not declare a heart 
without a minimum of two sure tricks to four in suit, 
such as ace king and two others, and therefore you 
should not call two spades on ace king and two small, 
without an extra trick to make up for the extra decla- 
ration ; if you think one should have five in suit to jus- 
tify the heart call, then one should have five in suit to 
justify the two spade call. Whether one measures a 
thing by feet and inches or by the metric system, the 
proportion of one part to the other remains the same, 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 21 

and that is what we are all aiming at in playing royals. 
To start with, we must have some sort of a rule to 
measure with, some sort of scale to apply to any hand 
under discussion^ and for this purpose the following 
principles are offered as probably the best that our 
present limited experience has been able to formulate. 

NO TRUMPS 

This is still the most valuable call, because it goes 
game with three odd tricks, but it is also still the most 
dangerous, as almost anything can happen to a no- 
trumper that is not a certainty. A player recently 
held four aces and the queen jack ten of three suits, on 
which he bid two no trumps, was doubled and lost 400 
points, although he played the hand perfectly. 

The established standard for a no-trumper, in any of 
the three forms of bridge, straight, auction or royals, 
is a queen above average, with protection in three suits. 
If the strength is no more than queen or king above 
average there should be at last two aces. With only 
one ace the hand should be much above average or pro- 
tected in all four suits. These near no-trumpers are 
expensive when they go wrong. 

An average hand has its exact share of the high 
cards — one ace, king, queen, jack and ten. As a king 
and queen in the same suit is a sure trick it is equal 
to an ace, and as the queen, jack, ten in the same suit 
is a sure trick it is equal to a king and queen or to an 
ace. Such hands as the following are respectively 
queen and king above average : 



22 ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



^ A 3 2 


^ A 7 5 4 


* K Q 8 6 4 


* K J lO 5 





A 9 3 


♦ Q J lO 6 4- 


♦ 7 2 


QUEEN ABOVE 


KING ABOVE 



There are also certain so-called "sporty" no-trump- 
ers in which the element of protection in three suits 
is absent, but which offer a chance for a big game if 
the partner has anything in the other suits. Such 
hands as the following: 



7 6 5 3 



^ 8 


6 4- 




^ A 


6 




4k A 


K Q 


3 


♦ A 


K 


Q 


7 


5 2 




5 


2 




♦ A 


K 6 




♦ 8 


4- 





The first of these holdings makes it highly improb- 
able that the partner can have a no-trumper, as he can- 
not protect three suits. The second is taking a chance 
that he has something better than a Yarborough and 
can get into the lead just once. If he can, the hand 
goes game. 

THE RED SUITS 

Viewed from the standpoint of old-fashioned auc- 
tion, all suits are ''winning" suits in royal auction, as 
any suit will go game from zero. 

For an original declaration in either of the red suits 
in royals high cards are insisted on, unless the suit is 
long enough to justify an original call of two tricks. 
The object in declaring on high cards is to provide 
against a shift by the partner. 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 23 

The minimum is ace king queen alone^ and the aver- 
age red declaration should be at least ace king and 
two small, or any three honors and five in suit, even 
without a sure trick in any other suit. 

9?AKQ 0AQ1O75 

0AK64- ^KQJ4.2 

9?AQJ32 0KQ1O63 

These declarations are all invitations to the third 
hand to go no trumps, as there is little hope of their 
doing anything by themselves if left as a trump make. 

Any deficiency in high cards or in length must be 
made up for by winning cards in other suits. With 
such red cards as these, for example : 

^AQ63 9?KQ753 

0AQJ4. 0,KJlO54 

Each being a high card or a trump shy of the scale 
weight, there must be an ace, or a king and queen, or 
king jack ten^ in some other suit to justify the decla- 
ration. 

With any weaker suits, such as five cards to the 
king jack or king ten, or queen jack ten^ there should 
be at least two sure tricks in another suit, or a strong 
five card suit headed by king queen jack, or king queen 
ten. 

A red suit of six or seven cards which has only one 
sure trick in it, such as the ace, or king and queen, or 
king jack ten, may be declared originally even if there 
is not another trick in the hand; but if the partner 



24 ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 

overcalls with a no-trumper he must be again over- 
called with the red suit, in order to show that it will 
be of no assistance to him, but that his winning cards 
will be useful to back up the trump suit. 

THE CLUB SUIT 

In royal auction, clubs are declared on precisely the 
same principles^ and for the same reasons. All the 
dealer's one trick calls in suits that can go game 
are made with a view to the possibility of the third 
hand shifting to no trumps, and a one trick bid shows 
the potential tricks, but the two trick call shows 
length only, and the player with six or seven clubs 
to a single trick, such as the ace, should stand ready to 
overcall his partner's no-trumper with two clubs^ just 
as he would with two diamonds or two hearts. 

In old-style auction, the dealer could not do this^ be- 
cause the no-trumper shut him out, so he reserved the 
one club call for average assistance in high cards, and 
called two clubs when that assistance was unusual, so 
that the bid was in the nature of a shout for no trumps. 
He said nothing at all about a long weak club suit, 
because he could not go game with it. But now, with 
clubs worth six, the dealer can overcall a no-trumper 
with two clubs, and his game is much less cramped. 

THE SPADE SUIT 

In auction one spade meant *'I pass/' and two spades 
meant strength enough to assist a potential no-trumper. 
But in royals the spade suit is more valuable than any 
of the others and will come as close to game as a heart, 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 2$ 

as either suit will win out with four odd. It is there- 
fore evident that we must judge the spade suit by the 
same standards as the hearts or the diamonds, and 
for the same reasons. 

The only difficulty that presents itself lies in the 
position already assigned to the one spade call, but this 
is easily overcome by adopting the two spade call in its 
place, or rather in the place of what would be a one 
trick call in any other suit. 

But a two trick call in spades takes the declarer out- 
side the safety limit of loo in penalties. If he could 
convey the same information of strength without 
length by a one trick call, it must be admitted that it 
would be as sound as it is to make that call in hearts 
or in diamonds, in which suit there is no protection. 

This brings us to what will undoubtedly prove to be 
the keys to the bidding in royals. If it is sound bidding 
to call one heart with four to the ace king and not a 
trick outside, it is sound to make that call in spades or 
any other suit. If it is necessary to declare an extra 
trick to convey one's meaning in spades, then one 
should have that extra trick in the hand to justify the 
call. 

If this reasoning is sound, we may start with this as 
our first principle. With such cards in spades as you 
would bid one trick, if the spades were a red suit, bid 
two spades if there is another trick anywhere in the 
hand to make up for the advance of the bid from one 
trick to two. 

One great point in favor of this call is the importance 
of being able to inform your partner, without any 



26 ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 

chance of his misunderstanding it, that the two spade 
call is a request to go no trumps and that you will not 
interfere with it if he makes that declaration, as you 
might do in either of the red suits. 

This is because it is unwise to overcall your hand 
on the first round in the red suits, so that you should 
not begin with two tricks^ but reserve that call for cases 
in which your partner goes no trumps, depending on 
you for winning cards w^hich you do not hold. This 
cannot happen in the spade suit, but in the red suits 
there is no way to distinguish between strength and 
length on the first call, unless you assume what may be 
an entirely unnecessary contract. 

When the spade suit is such that if it were hearts or 
diamonds you would stand ready to go two tricks on it, 
you declare its nature by bidding one royal. This 
would be the correct declaration with seven spades to 
the king jack, for instance, without another trick in the 
hand. If you start with two in a red suit, it takes two 
no trumps to overcall^ but it takes but one no trump to 
overcall your royal. 

Postponing for the present the analysis of the per- 
centage of hands that are affected by this change in the 
scale of measurement as applied to the dealer's cards, 
let us glance at the way it works out in practice. Here 
is a hand in which the bidding was carried out under 
the system which has just been outlined: 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



27 











^ Q 


5 


4 3 2 














4k K 


Q 


7 2 














9 


8 


6 








10 


9 


8 


♦ 


5 








J 




^ A 


6 




Y 




^ K 




A A 
K 


8 
J 


7 






A 




B 


« J 
Q 


6 
5 


4 3 


♦ J 


3 


2 








Z 




♦ Q 


9 


8 6 4 




9? 


7 


















4k 10 


9 


5 4 3 

















A 


10 


2 









♦ A K 10 7 



Z dealt and bid two spades, holding in his hand suffi- 
cient strength to justify a one trick call if the spades 
were hearts, and an outside ace to justify increasing the 
call to two tricks. A passed. 

Y could not accept the invitation to go no trumps, 
and had nothing to support spades as trumps, but with 
the knowledge that his partner must have an extra 
trick somewhere to justify the two spade call, he de- 
clared his longest suit, hearts^ so as to get out of the 
two trick contract. B passed. 

Z in his turn has nothing to support the heart make 
and therefore follows the principle always advocated 
in auction, overcalling to show that he has nothing in 
that suit;, but has a fairly long suit of his own. Z bids 
two clubs. 

This system of overcalling is something that the be- 
ginner should study attentively. If one player calls a 
diamond, holding six of the suit, that does not say 
how many he has of any other suit. If his partner has 



28 ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 

no diamonds, or only one, but has six hearts, he over- 
calls with a heart, because it is not impossible that 
while they have but seven diamonds between them, 
there may be three or four hearts in the diamond hand, 
and they will then have ten trumps between them, in- 
stead of seven. 

Z's overcall of two clubs gives Y a photograph of 
his hand. He has strong but short spades, not good 
enough for a royal. He has a sure trick outside some- 
where, and he is long in clubs, but very short in hearts. 

A does not like this shift to the clubs, as he was sit- 
ting tight to down the heart contract, but what is he 
going to do about it ? 

Y cheerfully accepts the amendment offered by the 
dealer and passes. B cannot risk a royal against two 
sure tricks in spades marked over him to the left, and 
all suits declared against him but the diamond, so he 
passes, the hand is played at two clubs, and Z makes 
three by cards. 



IV 

THREE USES FOR THE SPADE CALL 

The moment you introduce a new suit or advance 
the value of an old one in bidding at royals in bridge 
you must borrow from all the other suit declarations 
to fill the place this new one creates. Just as soon as 
you promote spades to a fighting suit you will find 
that many of the hands upon which the dealer would 
be content to bid a spade at auction are long enough 
in the spade suit to justify a royal, and many of the 
hands that were two trick no trump invitations will 
come under the same head if the spade suit is long as 
well as strong. 

Any person taking up royal auction for the first time 
should have clearly before him the three uses for the 
spade call and the three answers to it by the third hand. 

1. One spade, to show that he passes the declaration. 

2. Two spades, to show that he can assist a no- 
trumper with some winning cards in a short spade 
suit. 

3. A royal spade, to show that he wants spades for 
trumps. 

The declaration of any one of these should preclude 
the others or the partner would be misled. When the 
dealer starts with one spade he denies strength enough 
in spades to assist a no-trumper and he denies two 
sure tricks in any of the other suits, or he would name 
them. 

29 . 



30 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



When the dealer starts with two spades he denies 
length in the spade suit ; denies two sure tricks in any 
better suit, but shows at least two sure tricks in the 
spade suit itself and one trick outside to justify the 
extra trick call. 

When the dealer starts with a royal, he does not care 
what his partner has, because he would rather play 
the hand with spades for trumps at nine a trick than 
take any chances with a no-trumper. The original call 
of a royal means much the same as a two-heart call 
did in auction: ''Partner, please let me alone, unless 
you know what you are doing." 

It is interesting to examine the results of applying 
this system of declaring to 500 hands which were 
analyzed with a view to discovering the percentage of 
the original declarations at auction before royals were 
thought of. 

500 DECLARATIONS AT AUCTION 
1 00 Hands at a time 



Bid 



No Trump . , , 
Hearts ........ 

Diamond 

Club 

2 Spades 

1 Spade. ...,,. 



1st 


2tid 


3rd 


4th 


5th 


26 


22 


21 


32 


21 


13 


15 


15 


16 


10 


10 


7 


11 


7 


10 


5 


3 


9 


3 


6 


4 


4 


3 





3 


42 


49 


41 


40 


50 


100 


100 


100 


100 


100 



Total 

122 

69 
45 
26 
16 
222 

500 



In this table it will be found that there were 222 one- 
spade calls, and sixteen two-spade bids by the dealer. 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 3 1 

As soon as we introduce the element of a royal spade 
we reduce the two-spade calls to 9, because 7 of them 
are better royals, and we reduce the one-spade calls to 
184, as 38 of the hands which fell into this class become 
royals. 

Add these together and we get 45 royals in 500 
deals, which is just equal to the number of hands on 
which we would have declared a diamond in the same 
500. 

As there were 69 heart hands to 45 diamond hands in 
those 500 deals at auction, the question naturally sug- 
gests itself whether this superiority of hearts w^as not 
due to giving that suit the preference over diamonds 
whenever an opportunity offered for a choice. If the 
answer is in the affirmative, then why should we not 
examine not only the hearts but the diamonds and the 
clubs, to see if there are not some of them that would 
yield the place to a royal spade call if there were a 
choice^ on account of its greater value, just as we pick 
a heart in preference to a diamond. 

But why stop at the suit declarations? There are 
surely many hands upon which no trump would be the 
original call at auction which would never take that 
risk if the spade suit w^ere worth more than hearts. 
Teachers are never tired of drilling it into their pupils 
that a safe heart is better than a risky no-trumper, 
however little the risk may be. Why should not the 
same rule apply to royals? 

Take this hand as an example of the difference the 
promotion of the spade suit will make : 



32 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 







^ A 


9 2 












« 9 


7 3 2 












Q 


J 9 










4- 


4^ 


Q 


lO 3 










9? K 8 7 


3 




Y 


^ 6 




A J lO 8 






A 


B 


* Q 


8 


6 




lO 6 4- 


3 






&^ 


A 


K 


8 


7 5 2 


♦ 5 








Z 


♦ A 


7 


6 






^ Q 


J lO 


5 








4k A 


K 4 












... 














^ 


K 


J 9 


8 4- 


2 







At auction Z was quite justified in declaring no 
trumps on his cards as dealer, as he is king- jack above 
average and protected in three suits. A and Y passed, 
but B called two diamonds. Being unable to stop the 
diamond suit or shift, unless to hearts, Z passed, hav- 
ing no fear of B's going game, but Y, who could stop 
the diamonds, w^ent to his partner's assistance with 
two no trumps, which effectually stopped B. The con- 
tract was set for fifty points, because B got a diamond 
lead from his partner and made five diamonds by get- 
ting in again with the ace of spades. 

While it must be admitted that this is perfectly 
legitimate bidding for both Z and Y at auction, Z's 
opening call would be rather injudicious at royals, be- 
cause if we suppose for a moment that his spades are 
hearts and give the hand to any bridge player, the 
wisdom of declaring hearts in preference to no trumps 
would be at once apparent. 

If Z declares one royal on these cards and overcalls 
B's two diamonds with two royals, or even with three 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



33 



if pushed to it, he will make five by cards, four honors, 
and the game, a difference of 131 points, without 
counting the equity of 125 for a game won. 

In the 500 deals which were examined for the open- 
ing bids at auction, there were 122 original no-trump- 
ers; nearly twice as many as hearts and three times 
as many as diamonds. If we examine these hands un- 
der the new count we shall find seventeen of them 
should be royals instead of no-trumps. 

That brings our total up to 45, plus 17, or 62 royals 
so far in 500 deals. In the heart suit itself we find six 
that would be better royals under the new count, which 
brings our total to sixty-eight. In the diamond calls 
we find five more that are better original royals, which 
carries us along to seventy-three. In the small number 
of club calls we find but one better royal, so that the 
table of proportionate declarations for the new count 
would stand about this wav : 



Origina 
Origina 
Origina 
Origina 
Origina 
Origina 
Origina 



DECLARATIONS IN 5OO DEALS 

no-trumpers by the dealer 105 

royals by the dealer 74 

hearts by the dealer 63 

diamonds by the dealer 40 

clubs by the dealer 25 

two spades by the dealer 9 

one spade by the dealer 184 



Total 



500 



34 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



As already pointed out in the previous analysis, this 
proportion might not hold for another 500 deals, and 
it would take a very large number of deals to arrive at 
the exact figures, but it will be seen that the sliding 
scale seems to be well maintained, gradually diminish- 
ing in number as the hands grow less valuable until 
we get to the passing hands. These are reduced from 
44 per cent, to yj per cent, under the new count. 

As an example of the class of hand that would be 
considered a safer heart than no trump at bridge or 
auction, take these cards : 









^ 


8 


5 


3 










A K 


10 


6 5 4- 








4. 


2 










♦ Q 


5 


3 




^ 7 






Y 




^ Q J 


♦ Q 8 

J 8 


7 
7 


3 


2 


A 




B 


A J 9 

OAK 


♦ J 10 


7 


6 






Z 




♦ 9 




^ 


A 


K 


10 


9 4. 








4 A 















5 


3 







6 2 



Q 10 9 6 



♦ A K 6 4. 2 



As originally played Z preferred the heart call, which 
B went over with two in diamonds. Upon Z's going 
on to two hearts it was A that went three diamonds 
on the streno;-th of his abilitv to rufif hearts on the 
second round, which was rather forward bidding, but 
it induced Z to risk three in hearts, which B doubled. 

Now if Z shifts to no trumps A knows to lead a dia- 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 35 

mond, so Z had to let it stand at three hearts doubled 
and lose lOO points on the contract through being 
afraid to finesse against two cards in trumps. 

A led the diamond, and after two rounds B shifted 
to the singleton spade. Z let this run to the queen 
and led the trump, B playing low. As Z figured that 
the trumps might lie two and three and that B would 
cover with both queen and jack he put on the king and 
led the ace. Then he led the ace of clubs to get out 
of dummy's way and followed with the king of spades, 
which B trumped. B drew dummy's trump and then 
led another diamond, forcing Z, but A had to give 
dummy a club trick after making the jack of spades. 

Under the new count Z's hand is a better royal, as 
the high cards in hearts are more easy to establish 
as trick winners than the three minor cards in spades. 
While B will certainly bid two diamonds, he cannot 
aflford to risk three diamonds against two royals. 
Neither can A^ as he cannot rufif Z's declared suit. 
Even if three diamonds were bid, Z can afford to risk 
three royals just as quickly as he would go three 
hearts. 

In this play, after two rounds of diamonds B will 
lead the heart queen, as his singleton is a trump. Z 
will make his ace of clubs, lead two high trumps first 
and then put dummy in to make the king of clubs and 
come through B with a heart so as to finesse the nine, 
forcing A's last trump and leaving Z three by cards, 
instead of the loss that w^as actually incurred on the 
heart contract. 

Here is an instance of giving the preference to a 



36 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



royal in a hand which would otherwise be two dia- 
monds : 

^ Q 9 7 

* A 7 5 

J 6 

♦ 9754-3 

8 6 3 

Q lO 6 4- 3 



^ J 


lO 


4- 


2 


Y 




^ K 


A J 
A 


9 
Q 


8 
8 


2 
3 


A 


B 


4k K 

7 


♦ 8 








Z 




♦ K 




^ 


A 5 












A 









K lO 9 5 4- 2 
♦ A Q J lO 6 



As originally played, when Z bid the diamond A and 
Y passed and B overcalled with two clubs. This 
pushed Z to two diamonds, which all passed. Had A 
been tempted to try a no-trumper he would have come 
to grief on the unmentioned suit, spades. 

A led the club and dummy put on the ace, Z dis- 
carding a heart. The finesse of the jack of trumps 
lost to the queen and let A lead another forcing club. 
A then won one of Z's two equals in trumps with the 
ace and led clubs once more. At this point Z made the 
mistake of pulling both A's trumps and then trying to 
drop the king of spades. 

Failing in this, he let in three clubs and lost 50 points 
on his contract. His proper play was to clear the 
spades first, even if he left the long trump against 
him, which would have made three by cards but not 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 3/ 

the game. This is a useful lesson in trump manage- 
ment for the beginner. 

In this hand under the old count the spade suit is 
worth nothing except as an assistance to the trump suit, 
and the only choice that Z has is between a diamond 
and no trumps. As the cards lie this would have 
failed as a no-trumper because A would open with the 
jack of hearts and Z would have no way of getting 
dummy into the lead to try the spade finesse, even if he 
cared to risk such a thing with ten of the suit between 
the two hands. 

With spades at nine a trick this hand is a better royal 
than a diamond^ as it can go game with one trick less, 
and it is better than no trumps because it is safer. B 
may overcall a royal with two clubs, but Z will cer- 
tainly go oh to two royals, as he can ruff clubs. 

Whether or not B would risk three clubs at six a 
trick is a question, especially with the spades on the 
wrong side of his king. Even if he does Z will go 
three royals, as his loss cannot be large. 

If played as a royal Z wins four by cards and the 
game easily. A will open the club and Z will get a 
heart discard on the first trick. He cannot lose any- 
thing by a finesse in spades, as diamonds or hearts 
must come up to him, but granting that he does not 
take it and lets the king make, all he can lose after that 
is two diamond tricks no matter how the cards lie. 

This seems to lead to the conclusion that a royal may 
not only be the best form of a spade call, but it may be 
safer than no-trumps, better than an equally strong 



38 ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 

heart and easier to go game with than an equally 
strong diamond. 

But there is one objection to the royal that statistics 
do not bear out, and that is the contention that it would 
practically put an end to no-trumpers. 

''If they play royal spades at nine a trick/' say the 
objectors, ''it will be all suit makes, as they are safer." 

So far from this being the case^ the effect seems 
simply to be to cut down the hands on which the dealer 
passed, or asked his partner to do something with the 
spade suit, and that there has been very little interfer- 
ence with the no-trumpers, turning an average of only 
13 per cent, into suit makes. 

As all the other royal declarations are borrowed 
from other suits^, it cannot be said that those have cut 
down the no-trumpers, because they never were no- 
trumpers. If it is only about seventeen hands in 500, 
or less than 3^ per cent., that are royals instead of no 
trumps, the statement that the new count makes every- 
thing a royal spade and nothing a no-trumper must be 
largely erroneous. 



V 

ANSWER TO THE ONE SPADE BID 

The principles upon which the dealer declares one 
spade or two spades or one royal as his first call being 
thoroughly understood, it becomes the duty of the third 
hand to make his answer equally clear and at the same 
time to protect the interests of the combination. 

In addition to the three distinct calls that the dealer 
may make there are three principal cases which re- 
quire attention, depending on the interference of the 
second hand. The first is when he doubles the one 
spade call, the second when he bids a suit for only one 
trick, and the third when he overcalls the spade with a 
royal instead of doubling, or overcalls the royal with a 
two trick bid in another suit. 

But before considering these it will be necessary to 
see what the answer of the third hand should be when 
there is no interference from the second hand, because 
we shall then be better able to judge how far he might 
stretch his declaration in order to cover this interfer- 
ence if it arises on the first round of bids. 

If the dealer starts with one spade and the second 
hand passes, the third hand should be more conserva- 
tive than usual in his bids because he knows that the 
dealer's hand is below the average and may be very 
much below, probably not good for two certain tricks 
at the best. If the third hand's own cards are not 

39 



40 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



very much above the average he is probably assuming a 
contract that will prove expensive if he makes a bid. 

The first thing for the third hand to remember is 
that it is useless to offer information to a dealer who 
has started with a spade call in the hope that it may in- 
duce him to improve upon the declaration, because the 
usual result will be that he will turn to and help you. 

Many players fall into this error, declaring upon 
their cards as third hand as if they were in the dealer's 
position and giving their partner hints as to what they 
could do to help him in case he has the elements of a 
no-trumper or a good red make in his cards. Here is 
a case of this kind : 









^ 


Q 9 3 














« A K 10 4< 












J lO 2 








7 


4 


# 


9 8 3 




J 




^ K 




Y 


^ A 


5 


* 6 


2 






A B 


* Q 


J 


9 


A 


K 


9 5 


3 


A A ±j 


8 


4- 




♦ Q 


J 


lO 




Z 


4 A 


K 


5 




^ 


lO 8 6 


2 










* 7 5 












Q 7 6 












♦ 


7 6 4-; 


2 







8 3 



Z dealt and called a spade. A passed and Y called 
one club, in order to show his partner where his 
strength lay and also to take him out of the spade call. 
B doubled and Z was helpless. When A passed Y did 
not know which way to jump, so he let the double stand 
and the contract was set for 500 points. 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 4I 

B started with three rounds of spades^ A winning 
the third with the queen. Instead of playing out his 
diamonds, which would have made dummy's queen 
good for a trick, A led up to the weakness in hearts 
and B won the trick with the jack, coming back with 
the eight of diamonds. 

A made both ace and king of diamonds and read- 
ing his partner out of the suit let B rufif a third round. 
B then led two rounds of hearts, ace firsts and A came 
through with the trump, as he could count his partner 
for nothing but clubs at this stage. 

It is clear that no matter how Y plays to this trick 
he can make only two of his trumps, and these two 
tricks, the ace and king of the suit that he was so 
anxious to show his partner, are the only tricks he 
makes on his contract to win seven. 

With their cards A and B could have gone game at 
no trump, or even in clubs, but with Y giving them the 
chance to pick up penalties by the hundred without any 
risk to themselves, they had a better thing of it. Had 
Y passed the spade, as he should have done, B would 
have called a club, and even if he had gone game on 
the hand it would have been cheaper for Y than losing 
500 points in penalties. 

It would have been quite right to declare a club on 
Y's cards as dealer, because he is then forced to bid 
something and has in his favor the probability that his 
partner holds his share of high cards in other suits. 
But when this partner has had an opportunity to de- 
clare in advance, and has said that he has not his fair 



42 ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 

share of high cards, such a declaration as Y's is mani- 
festly unsafe. 

As a rule, when your partner is the dealer and calls 
one spade, you should have a hand upon which you 
would be willing to bid two tricks in suit if you had 
the original call, or you should let the spade alone and 
shelter yourself behind the lOO-point penalty limit if 
the adversaries refuse to take you out. 

Some persons seem to be totally unable to count 
losers. They can tell you how many sure tricks they 
have in their cards as a rule, although many overesti- 
mate the value of single honors, but they cannot see 
the losing cards. If they have only two sure tricks, 
they must have eleven potential losers, but this figure 
does not seem to penetrate their consciousness with the 
same rapidity and certainty that the two winners de- 
velop. 

This exaggerated idea of the strength of their hands 
leads to bidding beyond the legitimate value of their 
trick-taking powers, especially after they have been 
warned by the dealer, their partner, to be careful. Here 
is a case in which the third hand made the excuse for 
his bid that he had only one card below a nine in his 
whole hand, and thought he had to show his strength 
by declaring something. 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



43 









^ 


J lO 


9 












4 A K 


J 












Q J 


lO 


9 5 






7 


5 


# 


K 9 




^ A Q 




^ K 


3 


Y 




2 


A 4 








A 


B 


♦ Q 8 


7 6 5 2 


A 


K 


4- 


2 


« * 


u 


8 3 




♦ A 


Q 


J 


3 


Z 




♦ 8 4. 






^ 


' 8 6 


4 










4k lO 9 


3 















7 6 









♦ lO 7 6 5 2 

Z dealt and declared one spade. A did not double, 
because the only object in doubling a spade is to en- 
courage the partner^ fourth hand, to go no trumps if 
he has everything but the spades. This A knows from 
his own cards that his partner cannot be strong enough 
to do. 

As already explained, Y's cards looked to him as if 
they were all winners, and he promptly declared a dia- 
mond. B wisely refrained from calling two clubs, and 
A, who did not know where the clubs lay, declined to 
double for fear Y or Z would shift to the club suit. 

All that Y got out of this wonderful hand was three 
trump tricks and the jack of clubs, losing 150 points 
when he was insured against losing more than 100 on 
the spade and had no chance whatever to go game in 
diamonds. 

B led the club and Y won it with the jack, leading a 
trump. A won this and led up to the weakness in 
hearts, B making the queen and leading another club 
for A to ruff. This brought another heart from A, and 



44 ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 

gave him another ruff in clubs^ kilHng both the ace and 
king in Y's hand. 

A then made the king of hearts and led a fourth 
rounds which Y trumped with the nine, thinking to 
force the ace of trumps from B. Holding the trick, Y 
led a trump, knocking the ace and eight together, and 
A led another heart, forcing Y to trump, so that he 
eventually lost two spade tricks. 

Y's cards look large, but if we analyze them we must 
admit that they are not strong enough to justify a 
two-trick call and therefore not strong enough to jus- 
tify any declaration in the face of the partner's original 
spade. Three trumps, two clubs, and a possible spade 
is the limit, which is a long way from eight tricks. 

The safe rule for the third hand, therefore, would 
seem to be not to overcall the dealer's spade unless he 
holds cards that would justify him in asking his part- 
ner to let him alone, which is the usual meaning of a 
two-trick bid. When a player starts with a declaration 
of two hearts, for instance, he usually does not care 
much what his partner has, and the same principle 
might be applied to the third hand when he knows his 
pkrtner has nothing, and he makes a declaration of 
one tricky not caring what his partner has. 

Unfortunately, the original call of one spade does 
not show anything in the spade suit ; therefore the third 
hand must be cautious about turning it into a royal 
unless he has the strength in spades that would justify 
such a declaration if the spades were hearts. He has 
no right to count upon the dealer for anything in 
spades although he has bid a spade. 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 45 

This is a point that the beginner should keep con- 
stantly before him in playing royals. An original spade 
means nothing further than "I pass/' 

One great weakness of the player who is just taking 
up the game of royals seems to be a tendency to make 
everything a royal that holds out any hope of the odd 
trick, and he is continually falling into this error of 
turning the dealer's spade into a royal, just because 
the dealer said spades, when he would never shift to a 
heart or a diamond if his spades were red. 

In order to correct this fault every player should 
school himself to regard the original spade call as 
meaning nothing in spades as well as nothing in any- 
thing else, as so many spade declarations are made 
with only one or two small cards of the suit in the 
dealer's hand. 

In the matter of turning a spade into a royal by the 
third hand, the new count opens up some considera- 
tions that have heretofore never entered into the game 
at either bridge or auction. There are three principal 
points: 

1. It is generally admitted by all good players that it 
is useless to assume a dangerous contract when there is 
no occasion to do so, unless there is a fair prospect of 
going game if the hand goes right. In other words, 
there is nothing in trying for the odd trick or two by 
cards, at the risk of being set up for two or three hun- 
dred in penalties. 

2. There is no object in forcing an adversary to call 
two tricks in a suit before you know whether he is able 



46 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



to call one or not, especially before you have any idea 
as to which suit he has, if any. 

3. If he has a suit and declares it for one trick, no 
matter which suit it is, you can overcall it for one trick 
in royals if you think it advisable to do so. 

From these considerations may be drawn the follow- 
ing corollary: If the adversaries could beat your con- 
tract for one spade, they can beat it for one royal^ and 
the penalty is 50 points a trick in both. If you can 
win the odd trick at a spade you can win it at a royal ; 
but the difference between nine points and two points 
is not worth the difference in the risk of unlimited loss 
instead of the guarantee against more than 100. 

So far as the writer's experience goes this conserva- 
tive handling of possible royals is one of the secrets of 
success in the new game, as it gives the player with a 
strong spade suit a double-edged weapon, useful alike 
for attack and defence. As an example of a hand that 
IS badly managed if the foregoing reasoning is correct, 
take this case : 



•^ Q 4 

* 5 

J 10 

♦ A Q 



7 
8 



2 

6 



5 4 



^ A J 8 6 5 3 
♦ J 10 7 6 

4. 

^3 2, 



Y 


Q? 7 2 


A r 


* K Q 4- 3 
A K Q 5 


z 


♦ K J 10 



^ K lO 9 

* A 9 8 2 
9 8 6 3 

♦ 97 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 47 

Z dealt and declared a spade. A passed^ and Y, ap- 
parently carried away with the idea that he and his 
partner had all the spades in the pack between them, 
declared a royal, which every one passed. 

Now let us suppose for a moment that Y's spades 
were hearts, would he be justified in calling a heart on 
such cards after his partner has declared a spade? 
Admit, for the sake of argument, that five of his 
trumps are good for tricks, what are the rest of his 
cards good for ? 

Nothing. He might be able to establish a diamond 
on the fourth round, otherw^ise he holds seven sure 
losers. Then what justification has he for stepping 
outside the pale of safety and declaring a royal? A 
holds an almost identical hand in hearts, with no weak- 
ness show^n by his partner, but he passes, because his 
hand is not up to standard. 

In the actual play Y lost only one trick, making four 
of his trumps, the ace of clubs and the king of hearts, 
but the point for the student is the application of the 
corollaries already made. If Y is strong enough to 
make the odd in spades he will not lose anything on 
that contract. If he is not strong enough it will cost 
him no more than to lose his contract in royals. 

It is practically impossible to go game with such 
cards as Y holds when Z has called a spade, because 
game means winning four by cards at nine a trick. If 
it is not possible to win the game Y should have 
passed the spade, upon which he w^ould have heard 
from B, who would probably have declared a diamond. 
This Z would have passed, and A would have over- 



48 ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 

called with a heart, to show that he could not support 
the diamond but had a strong^ heart suit. 

Now if Y wants to call a royal he can do so, but he 
does it with his eyes open^ and it will cost him no more 
than it would have done had he done it blindly on the 
first round. There is no particular object in calling it, 
except to drive B to two diamonds, which might be de- 
feated if A is weak in that suit, or to push A to two 
hearts. 

B would lose a trick on his contract to make two in 
diamonds if Z started with the ace of clubs, and A 
would just get through with his contract to make two 
in hearts. According to the principles already laid 
down neither of these scores would do them any good 
and they would both be bad contracts to assume after 
Y had bid a royal. On Y's part, it would show better 
judgment to let either of the one trick contracts in red 
stand rather than overcall with a royal which holds out 
no prospect of going game. 



VI 
ANSWER TO THE TWO-SPADE CALL 

One of the most puzzling propositions to the person 
who takes up royals for the first time is the answer to 
a two spade call by the dealer. In auction a bid of two 
spades meant a long strong suit, sufficient to guarantee 
the odd trick and give a chance to go game if the part- 
ner had a sure trick in each of two other suits. Any 
deficiency in the spade suit itself must be made up with 
absolute sure tricks outside. 

If the dealer could be depended on for the strength 
that this call required the third hand could often push 
his no-trumpers to great lengths in the bidding, but the 
weakness of this two spade call was that so many play- 
ers were willing to take a chance and were so anxious 
to drive their partners into a no-trumper that they 
would declare two spades without the cards to justify it 
and trust to luck for it to go through. 

According to the text-books no two spade bid was 
sound at auction unless the dealer held the suit solid 
and could win at least six tricks in it or had an outside 
ace to make up for the trick the spade suit was shy. 

But when the call of two spades was made on a suit 
which was not solid, the dealer taking a chance on such 
combinations as ace-king- jack, king-queen- jack or ace- 
queen- jack, and sometimes even on ace-queen-ten to six 
in suit, without another trick in the hand that was sure, 
the bid was exposed to defeat either way. 

49 



so 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



As a trump declaration it was not good enough to 
save the contract unless the partner laid down three 
sure tricks, which is more than his average expectation. 
If the third hand went no trumps, making the long 
spade hand the dummy, he would find his plans built 
upon the sandy soil of an unestablished suit and the 
whole hand would probably go to pieces. 

Few persons realize the difference between a solid 
spade suit and one that has a hole in it when they are 
bidding it to induce the partner to try a no-trumper. 
These coaxers are the hands on which the big losses are 
made. Here is one in which the writer held Y's cards 
and which shows how one may be led astray by a 
dealer that overcalls his hands. 









^ 


K 


Q 


6 










♦ 8 


4 










A 


7 


6 4-2 




5 


4- 


# 


8 


5 


3 




^ lO 






Y 




^ A J 9 


4 A 


J 


9 6 5 


3 


A 




n 


A K 


Q 


8 






A JL 




JLJ 


K lO 9 


♦ A 


4* 








Z 




♦ 9 6 




^ 


• • • 


• • • • 


> • • • 










« 


Q 


lO 


7 


2 



8 7 3 2 



J 5 3 



♦ K Q J lO 7 2 

Z dealt on the rubber game, no score, and called two 
spades. This his cards do not justify, because the suit 
is not solid and he has no reentry if the ace is held up 
against him for one or two rounds, a contingency that 
the beginner always overlooks. 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 5 1 

A passed, and Y, with certain winners in two dif- 
ferent suits, depending on the dealer for solid spades 
or spades that one round would clear and with a re- 
entry to bring them in, called no trumps. B said two 
hearts. Z and A passed and Y went two no trumps, 
there being eight tricks marked between the two hands 
if Z had six spade tricks. 

B passed, as he could not see nine tricks with all the 
spades against him and Y marked with a sure winner 
in hearts, but A doubled. 

There was no escape for Y, who now realized that 
his partner must have deceived him. The contract 
failed for five tricks and cost 500 points. 

Now let us look at the difiference this bid would 
make in playing royals. As the hand stands Z's original 
call would be a royal of course, and not two spades, 
because in royals a tw^o spade bid is never made on 
length and holds out no promise of a long solid suit, 
as it did at auction, although it still retains its original 
meaning as an invitation to the third hand to go no 
trumps. 

To the novice this immediately seems to class it 
among the dangerous bids, because the dealer will de- 
clare two spades on a short suit. According to the 
principles already laid down for the opening bid the 
dealer is justified in calling any suit in which he has 
two sure tricks, but he calls it for one trick only. In 
order to call two spades he must have an extra trick 
somewhere. If he has a sure trick outside the spades 
he may declare two spades on four to the ace king. 

''But," immediately objects the novice, ''if I had held 



52 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



such a short spade suit as that and bid two tricks on 
the hand which you have just illustrated my partner 
would have come a terrible cropper at no trumps.'' 

At the first blush this seems reasonable, as only two 
tricks in spades and one outside certainly do not seem 
any better than a six card suit, even without the ace. 
But let us rearrange the hands on this understanding, 
leaving the two that bid against each other, Y's and 
B's, just as they were, and make Z's hand only four 
spades to the ace king and one sure trick outside and 
we shall see that Y's play is safe^ because his part- 
ner's bidding is not misleading. 







^ 


K 


Q 


6 










A 8 


4- 










A 


7 


6 4-2 




' 




♦ 8 


5 


3 






^ lO 5 






Y 




9? A 


J 9 


♦ J lO 9 6 


5 


3 


A 




B 


♦ K 




Q 






A A 




J-J 


K 


lO 9 


♦ Q J 4. 2 








Z 




♦ 9 


6 




^ 


4« 














4 A 


Q 


7 2 


« 









J 


8 


5 


3 





8 7 3 2 



♦ A K lO 7 



We have given Z the ace of clubs instead of the ten, 
but have effectually stopped his spade suit in A's hand. 

Playing royals, Z bids two spades. Suppose that A 
passes, although many players would bid a club at 
royals, the suit being worth six, so that one club will 
overcall two spades, worth four. 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 53 

Does Y go no trumps if A passes? Not in royals. 
He knows, of course, that the spades in his partner's 
hand are winners, but he knows something else. 

He knows that Z holds only four cards in spades. 

This is a point that some of our best players seem 
to overlook the importance of. Z says to Y, 'T have 
two sure tricks in spades and a trick outside.'' Now 
let us change the color of this suit for a moment so 
that the person who is more familiar with auction may 
see the point clearly. Let us suppose that Z held five 
hearts to the ace king and a sure trick outside what 
would he bid? 

One heart, of course. Therefore if spades are worth 
more than hearts, as they are in playing royals^ and Z 
held five spades to the ace king and a sure trick outside 
he would bid one royal, just as he would bid one heart ; 
not two spades. The two spade bid denies more than 
three or four spades in his hand. 

Understanding this clearly Y's answer to the dealer's 
two spade bid is not no trumps, but one diamond, be- 
cause that outside trick is either the king and queen of 
diamonds or it is in the club suit. Not knowing which, 
Y bids safe. As the hand was originally dealt Y was 
banking on his partner for six sure spade tricks. Now 
he knows he has nothing of the kind. 

B bids a heart and Z comes to his partner's assist- 
ance with two diamonds, which rather confirms Y's 
opinion that Z's outside trick is in diamonds. B goes 
two hearts and Z stops, but Y will go on to three dia- 
monds, so that if B tries three hearts he will be set, and 



54 ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 

the most Y can lose is a trick, as he can count eight 
tricks in sight. 

If B goes three hearts he loses 200 points because 
Z's opening lead would be the trump, having protec- 
tion in all suits if Y has the diamond. B has nothing 
to defend by getting out the trvimps and would prob- 
ably lead the club so as to get ready for a cross ruff 
when A shed his diamond. 

Whether B led the club or the spade Z would put Y 
in with a small diamond, as there is no use leading a 
jack through a singleton queen. Y would pick up A's 
trump and come back with the diamond, and all that B 
would make on the hand would be the odd tricky in- 
stead of the nine tricks he contracted for. 

If B leaves Y in with the diamond contract Y and Z 
go game easily as the cards lie, although they could not 
foresee that result or bid up to it. Against a diamond 
call B would naturally start with the ace of hearts, and 
on finding dummy out would follow with a spade or the 
singleton club. Whichever he did Y would get two 
rounds of trumps by leading small from dummy. 

Another spade from B, or a club if he still has it, 
and dummy picks up the ten of trumps. The club 
queen gets rid of Y's eight. Y ruffs the third club and 
gives Z two spade discards on his two top hearts and 
ruffs the fourth club himself, so that the only tricks 
for A and B are the heart ace and the king of trumps. 

What has Z lost by bidding two spades on a short 
suit, the hands of Y and B being left as they were? 
Winning five by cards and the rubber in diamonds, or 
getting 200 in penalties against a heart contract, is 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 55 

quite a different story from losing 500 points at no 
trumps through being misled by the dealer's opening 
declaration. 

*'But why/' asks the novice, ''is this not a good hand 
at no trumps for Y and Z when Z's opening bid is 
honest, just as it would have been in the first distribu- 
tion if Z had had the spade suit solid, as he should 
have had ?" 

As the cards lie, Y could have gone game at no 
trumps, but it would have been a speculation, because 
he has no means of telling in which of two suits his 
partner's outside trick lies. If it is in diamonds and 
the clubs are all against them, B would probably avoid 
a heart opening when Y showed the suit stopped, and 
if he started with a club the result might be unpleasant. 
It is only because it is in clubs and not in diamonds that 
Z has the trick outside spades that the no-trumper 
would work. 

The point for the beginner to remember is, that a 
two trick call by the dealer in spades, when properly 
handled by his partner, is just as safe in royals as a one 
trick call would be in any suit other than spades. Both 
leave the safety limit of penalties behind them and both 
take a certain amount of risk, but neither can come to 
any such pass as to lose 500 points at a crack. 

When the third hand pays close attention to the bid- 
ding, especially when the second hand makes a decla- 
ration, he will sometimes be able to gauge the dealer's 
hand very accurately on a two spade call. Take this 
case : 



56 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 







^ A 


Q 


8 


5 










4 A 


9 


7 


6 2 










8 














J lO 4 


4 


» 8 


7 


2 


9? 9 


7 




^ K 






Y 




6 3 


A J 






A 




B 


« 8 


5 


3 


A 


K Q 9 7 


5 


A A 




lO 


6 




♦ 4 


3 






Z 




♦ Q 


J 


10 5 




^ 


2 












* K 


Q 


lO 


4- 










J 


4- 


3 


2 










4 


A 


K 


9 


6 







Z dealt and called two spades, which A went over 
with one diamond. Y knows from his own holding in 
hearts that Z cannot have any outside trick in that suit, 
and from the adversary's call in diamonds, which must 
be a solid suit to justify a free bid, that Z's outside 
trick is the king and queen of clubs. 

With this inference to guide him Y overcalls the dia- 
mond with two clubs. As A can ruff the clubs on the 
second round and has good supporting hearts he goes 
on to two tricks in diamonds and Y confidently de- 
clares three clubs. 

Y figures that his own clubs combined with his part- 
ner's should be good for five tricks in trumps. Two 
sure spade tricks are shown and Y has at least one 
sure heart trick. A declined to go further as he knew 
he could not possibly win the game, as two spade 
tricks and a club must be lost, and it is useless to take 
a risk on a hand that cannot go game. 

On the play of the club contract Y managed to go 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 57 

game by following the principle so often insisted upon 
in these pages, that it is useless to lead trumps unless 
you have a suit to defend which is otherwise worth- 
less. Y has not more than two possible tricks in any 
suit. 

B opened with the ten of diamonds and led another, 
which Y ruffed. Y then put Z in with a spade, so that 
he might take a finesse in hearts. When the queen 
held, he led the ace, dummy discarding a spade, and 
then a third round of hearts was trumped by Z. 

Dummy led a diamond, and the nine of trumps shut 
out B's eight. A fourth heart was ruffed by Z and Y 
trumped another diamond with the ace, B discarding 
spades. When Y put Z in again with a spade Z led his 
two winning trumps so that all B could get was the 
last trick with his eight. 



VII 
ANSWER TO THE BID OF ONE ROYAL 

Just as the third player has to be careful in his in- 
ferences as to the possibilities of his partner's hand 
when the dealer starts with a bid of two spades, so he 
will have to be cautious about his answer to an original 
call of one royal^ because it is usually dangerous to 
interfere with a bid of such value that it comes next to 
a no-trumper and takes two tricks in anything else to 
overcall it. 

The dealer who starts with a royal announces that 
he holds enough of the suit to be willing to play for 
the odd trick with spades for trumps, and that even if 
his partner has a better call, which would be no trumps, 
he would prefer to have such strength laid down on the 
table in his dummy as an assistance to his spade suit. 

In this respect the royal differs widely from the 
regular bids of one trick in hearts or diamonds, which 
used to be called the winning suits. A player will call 
one heart or one diamond with only four cards in the 
suit if two of them are the ace and king, and he will 
call it if he has only three, provided they are the top 
honors, even if there is not another trick in the hand. 

He does not want to play hearts for trumps, as it is 
probably the worst suit he could pick for such a pur- 
pose, but he wants to show his partner where his 
strength lies, so that the third hand may shape his 
course accordingly. 

58 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 59 

As a recent writer puts it: ''To understand the 
reason for bidding on short suits headed by winners in 
preference to long suits without them, one must keep 
continually in view that the first round of the bidding 
is for the purpose of leading up to a no-trumper if 
possible, and that when a player has not a no-trumper 
himself he still hopes for one in his partner's hand, and 
accordingly gives all the information he can as to his 
real strength. But the strength wanted in a no- 
trumper is not six cards to a ten, but aces and kings. 
Even queens are of no value in original bids.'' 

The only way in which the dealer can show in his 
original call that he wants hearts or diamonds for 
trumps, and that his cards in the suit are not good 
enough to be of any assistance to a no-trumper, is to 
declare two tricks in the suit at once. The conventional 
meaning attached to such an opening declaration, when 
made by a good player, is : ''Let me alone, no matter 
what you have." 

But few players care to assume the unnecessary trick 
on a blind bid, and the general custom with the red 
suits is to start with one trick and to be ready to over- 
call with two tricks in case the partner goes no trumps. 
The persistence in returning to the suit first declared 
shows the third hand the diflference between the hand 
with the short suit and winning cards^ and the long 
suit with smaller cards, marking the distinction between 
an invitation to him to go no trumps and a wish to 
name the trump suit from your own hand. 

While this system avoids the unnecessary risk of a 
two trick call at the start, it may prove difficult to carry 



6o 



:^OYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



out the theory if the partner turns out to be not the 
only bidder, because there is no way of setting him 
right after giving him a wrong impression at the start, 
except by repeating the call in the suit, regardless of 
expense. 

The great objection to this system is the misleading 
of the partner by a bid that may mean either one of 
two things when a red suit is named, and which is not 
clear to him until the second round, and then only if he 
overcalls and is overcalled in turn. In order that the 
student may understand clearly how this system of 
bidding red suits differs from the system of bidding 
royals, here is a rather curious example of the mis- 
understandings that the old auction system of bidding 
on the winning suits sometimes led to : 











^ 


6 






















* Q 


J 


lO 


3 


2 














8 










^ 






3 






♦ 


A 


K 


Q 


J 


5 
A 


4 
K 




^ 8 






Y 




lO 


♦ 9 


8 


6 


4- 




A 




B 


A 


K 


7 




J 


4 








A ^ 




AmJ 





A 


K 


5 


♦ lO 


8 


7 


6 


2 




Z 




4 


9 


3 






^ 


Q 


J 


9 












Jk A 


5 




















Q 


lO 


9 


7 


6 


3 


2 










♦ 


1... 















7 5 2 



Z dealt and started with a diamond, intending to 
overcall with two diamonds if his partner went no 
trumps. A passed and Y did go no trumps^ reckoning 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 6l 

on Z for the winning diamonds and taking a chance on 
the heart suit. 

B overcalled with two hearts, which prevented Z 
from declaring two in diamonds and suggested to him 
that it would be better to show Y that he had the 
hearts stopped twice by doubling, which is what Z did. 

When it got round to Y the situation seemed clear 
enough to him. He had a spade suit that should be 
good for six tricks and he has the clubs safe. Z has 
one or two sure tricks in diamonds, shown by his open- 
ing bid, and has the hearts stopped twdce, shown by his 
double. 

This being the situation, Y has a sure game hand at 
no trumps and sees no object in letting the double 
stand, so he overcalls wath two no trumps. 

At this point B saw his advantage. If he doubles the 
two no trumps he will probably frighten Z back into 
four diamonds (this being played at the old count), 
and he can then double that and defeat it if Z is the 
player who is long in both the red suits, because he can 
exhaust Y's trumps and then make his two hearts, 
setting the contract in the first four tricks played. 

Z did not see any need of pulling his partner out of 
the no-trumper^ and had no idea that Y's bids were 
all based on Z holding the winning diamonds, so the 
hand was played with Y as the declarer and the con- 
tract w^as set for 200 points. 

B started with the hearts, and as soon as he saw that 
dummy had no spades to lead he went right on with a 
third heart, putting Z in. Y saw that either w^ay he 
played the club suit he would block it unless he could 



62 ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 

catch the king with the ace, so he took a chance on 
that and then led the small club, which allowed B to 
force his last heart. 

Had Z led the diamond instead of the club, as the 
cards lie, A would have held the trick with the jack 
and would have come right back with it, as B would be 
marked with both ace and king, while the spades are 
an uncertainty. This would have brought about the 
same result as the club lead. As it was, B made his 
king of clubs^ cleared the hearts and made seven tricks 
on the hand. 

The loss on this contract is due to Z's reluctance to 
bid two diamonds at the start and his not having the 
opportunity to do it later, B's bid forcing him to three 
tricks. For the dealer to make things perfectly clear 
to his partner at the start there is only one way to bid 
the so-called winning suits, and that is to call one trick 
with the sure trick-taking cards, and to call two tricks 
with the long weak suits. 

But when we come to the spade suit in royals, the 
bidding is exactly reversed. We bid two tricks in the 
cheap suit, spades, when we have the winning cards 
and no length, which leaves the partner free to overcall 
with as cheap a bid as one trick in anything. We bid 
only one trick on the length, which forces the partner 
to let us alone unless he is willing to go as far as two 
tricks in his own suit. 

To illustrate the difference this makes let us take the 
foregoing hand and transpose the two important suits, 
diamonds and spades, which will give this distribution : 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



63 











Z> 6 




















* Q 


J 


10 3 


2 




• 










A 


K 


Q J 


5 


4- 






3 






♦ 


3 








A 


K 




9? 8 






Y 




^ 


10 7 5 2 


A 9 


8 


6 


4. 




A 




B 


A 


K 


7 


, 


10 


8 


7 


6 


2 







9 


3 




♦ J 


4. 










Z 




♦ 


A 


K 


5 




^ 


Q 


J 


9 


4- 












A A 


5 


















... 




















^ 


Q 


10 


9 


7 


6 


3 


2 



Instead of being forced to declare two tricks in an 
expensive suit in order to show that it is long and not 
headed by winning cards Z calls only one royal In this 
case Y, knowing the meaning of the bid, is warned 
against a no-trumper, because his partner does not 
promise to win a single trick in anything unless his 
spades are trumps. 

Some players would overcall the royal with two dia- 
monds, but that is a mistake. If B bids two hearts, Z 
will overcall with two royals, and his partner is still 
in no doubt about the hand upon which the declaration 
is made. If B leads trumps to protect his heart suit, 
which is a common artifice, Z will make three by cards. 

In the red suits^ it is conventional for the third hand 
to overcall his partner w^hen he cannot support the 
suit named by the dealer, but has a good red suit of 
his own, which is useful only as a trump suit and 
would be of no assistance in a no-trumper and there- 
fore not of much help in carrying out the contract on 
royals. 



64 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



Players who are careful in their inferences from the 
bidding will find many opportunities to avail them- 
selves of this information, conveyed by overcalling. As 
an example take this case : 



9? Q J 9 7 4 3 
* K lO 6 5 

Q 8 7 



^ K 

A A 

9 

♦ J 



2 
Q 

3 
9 



J 9 2 



6 4- 









5 




Y 




^ A 




A 


B 


* 8. 
K 


7 
J 


3 
lO 


Z 




♦ A 


Q 


2 



6 4- 



^ lO 8 6 

A 5 2 

♦ K lO 8 7 5 3 



Z dealt and started with one royal. A passed and Y 
overcalled with two hearts. B went two no trumps, 
having both the adversaries' suits stopped. Instead of 
bidding three royals, which many hasty players would 
do with Z's cards Z infers that his partner cannot help 
him in the spade suit and that his hearts are long and 
weak, because if his hearts were trick winners Y would 
support the spade suit as a royal. 

If Y has nothing in spades he must have sufficient 
hearts to justify overcalling, and as Z has three hearts 
himself they should have eight or nine between them, 
and if that is the case the heart is a better proposition 
than the royal, so Z overcalls B's two no trumps with 
three hearts. 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



At this point A, who holds the only suit that has not 
been called except the diamonds, and who knows that 
must be his partner's strength and also that B has both 
the called suits stopped, goes to B's assistance with 
three no trumps, whereupon Y and Z both refuse to 
cross the danger line of a four trick contract. 

On the play Y and Z set the no-trumper for three 
tricks. Z led his partner's suit, hearts, and B let it 
come up to the ace, so as to take a club finesse. Y won 
the club trick and cleared the hearts. 

On the third round of clubs A found himself blocked 
by the ten in Y's hand, and as he had no reentry it was 
useless to clear the suit, so he shifted to the diamonds, 
leading the nine and ducking it. Z won with the ace 
and led a third heart, Y making the rest of that suit 
and the ten of clubs. 

Here is an illustration of a case in which the third 
hand should have refused to overcall his partner's 
royal, although he has not a spade in his hand : 









^ 


9 


6 


















A J 


7 


5 3 














A 


K 


Q lO* 6 


4- 


3 






8 


7 


♦ 


• • • 






• • • 


lO 


5 




^ Q 






Y 




^ K 


4 


4 A 


K 


6 


4 


A 




B 


♦ Q 


lO 


8 


2 


9 


2 












7 


5 






♦ A 


7 


6 


3 




Z 




♦ Q 


9 


4" 






^ 


A 


J 


3 


2 










A 9 


















J 


8 
















^ 


K 


J 


lO 


8 5 


2 







66 ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 

Z dealt and declared one royal. A passed and Y 
called two in diamonds, which every one passed. With 
any play he makes his contract ; with the best play he 
makes three by cards, but at the same time he loses the 
game, because for two reasons he had no right to over- 
call his partner. 

In the first place diamonds are not worth as much as 
royals and it will take a trick more, new count, to go 
game. In the second place, if diamonds are trumps the 
long spade suit is worthless for trick winning, unless 
it is headed by winning cards, which Y does not know 
anything about, whereas the diamond suit is a great 
fighting factor if there is a long trump suit in the other 
hand to support it. 

Y's overcalling his partner leads Z into thinking that 
Y's diamonds are long and weak^ with no help in 
spades, so he lets the bid stand. B led a heart and Z 
put the ace right on, leading the singleton club. To 
save his partner's heart suit and his own ace of clubs 
and to kill the spades A led a trump, which Y won, so 
as to give Z a rufif in clubs. 

Y then trumped himself in on a spade and led the 
nine of hearts, which B won with the king, so as to 
make sure of the trick. B led a spade and Y had to 
lose two club tricks at the end. On this play he made 
a trick more than he would have done had he not led 
the singleton club when he did. 

Had Y left the royal declaration alone neither A nor 
B would have interfered with it. If either did inter- 
fere Y should have supported it, instead of shifting. 
This would give A the opening lead and he would play 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 6/ 

the king and ace of clubs, Z ruffing the second round 
and leading the ten of trumps to get two for one. As 
there is no danger of losing the ace A would naturally 
let this trick go up to B. 

Now if B comes with a heart, he can save a trick, but 
he would undoubtedly follow the more natural play 
and force Z again with a club, leading the queen. Z 
would ruff and lead trumps again until he forced out 
A's ace. 

If A put the ace of trumps right on, as he should, his 
play would be to kill that diamond suit at once by lead- 
ing it before Z gets all the trumps out. Z would let 
the trick come round to his jack, pull the trumps and 
return the diamond, making every other trick and the 
game, as all that A and B get out of it is a club and 
two trumps. 

The rule would seem to be, so far as present ex- 
perience with the game of royals goes, that the third 
hand should overcall when he has a long weak suit of 
his own and nothing in spades to support his partner, 
because while he has no spades, his partner may have 
several of the suit the third hand calls. 

But if the third hand holds the winning cards in his 
suit, he should let the royal stand, even if he has no 
spades to support it, because if he shifts, he may be 
reducing the spade suit to one of no value and at the 
same time be taking on an extra trick contract for a 
cheaper suit. 



VIII 
ANSWER TO THE SUIT CALLS 

The case in which the dealer himself names spades, 
either for one trick and safety ; for two tricks with 
short strength, or for a royal and length, have already 
been considered. But the great mass of declarations by 
the dealer, amomiting to nearly 60 per cent.^ are those 
in which he does not mention the spade suit at all, and 
these are the ones that require careful handling by the 
third player under the new count. 

According to the principles already laid down as a 
basis if the dealer declares one trick in any suit other 
than spades he should have at least two sure tricks in 
that suit, or tricks enough outside to make up for what- 
ever is lacking in the suit itself. 

This is not an arbitrary rule, because, as already 
pointed out, any player is at liberty to declare on less 
or to refuse to declare on so little. But the point for 
the good player to remember is that if he changes the 
unit of measurement by which his declarations are to 
be sized up he must change the unit of measurement 
by which he estimates the value of his partner's answer. 

The greatest danger in the declarations of the third 
hand lies in the foundations upon which they are built. 
There is nothing that will so rapidly and surely dis- 
courage a player who is conscientiously trying to ac- 
quire a sound style as to find the bottom continually 
falling out of his game, because it is standing upon a 
declaration by the dealer which is not sound. 

68 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



69 



Among the most common of the dealer's faults there 
are two that stand out conspicuously from the rest. The 
first is an original call of a suit that does not contain 
the necessary winning cards to justify it. The second 
is taking chances on ''near" no-trumpers. 

The great fault in the second class is that of forget- 
ting that the declaration is not final. If the hand were 
certain to be played at no trumps, just because the 
dealer said so^ as at bridge, these sporty no-trumpers 
would be in many cases excusable ; but when they are 
simply the cornerstone upon which other bids will be 
built up and the partner will be placing his chief de- 
pendence on them, they are unsound in principle and 
unsafe in practice. 

Here is an example which recently came under the 
writer's notice that shows how completely the dealer 
may sometimes lead his partner astray in calling one 
of these near no-trumpers, w^hen he has a legitimate 
call in a suit. As all suits have a chance for the game 
under the new county the error is the less excusable. 







^ 


K 


J 3 












♦ 10 3 










J 










5 


♦ 


A 


K J 


10 6 


3 

7 


2 


^ 9 






Y 


^ 10 


6 


A Q 


J 8 6 


4. 2 


A 


B 


* A 


9 


5 


10 


754. 




aX 


sJ 


A 


8 


3 


4 9 








Z 


♦ Q 


8 


4- 




9? 


A 


Q 8 


4- 








♦ K 


7 










K 


Q 9 6 2 










♦ 


7 


5 









yO ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 

Z dealt at the score of love all, rubber game, and 
called one no trump on the theory that his hand was a 
king above average and protected in three suits. Now 
for the benefit of the beginner it may be explained that 
the hand is not protected in three suits, because there 
is no protection in clubs unless that suit is led, therefore 
the call is not sound and should have been a diamond. 

A passed the no-trumper, as he has no chance to 
make two by cards against it, to say nothing of win- 
ning the game^ and there is no necessity to show his 
partner what to lead, as he has the lead himself. 

Y felt quite proud of the assistance that he could 
give the no-trumper, as it looked promising for a grand 
slam. He bases his hopes on the assurance that his 
partner has three suits safe, and these must be hearts, 
diamonds and clubs. 

When B passed A led his fourth best club and B put 
on the ace and returned the nine. Z can see his con- 
tract on the table, one club in hand, four hearts and 
two spades sure. If the spade queen falls he makes a 
little slam, so he starts the spades, but fails to catch the 
queen in two rounds. 

Instead of taking the odd trick and his contract he 
thought it better to risk the clubs in A's hand. With 
either two in B's or no more he still gets his contract, 
so he went on with the spade^ as the hearts in dummy 
are a sure re-entry. 

B's queen won the third round of spades, and he at 
once returned the club, Z discarding a diamond. On 
the queen and jack of clubs, B echoed in diamonds, so 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 7 1 

that A should lead that suit after the clubs were gone, 
and so they set the no-trump contract for 50 points. 

With nine red cards and two unprotected suits, Z 
should have started with a diamond, especially as that 
will encourage his partner to show what he has in 
either of the black suits, especially spades, because it is 
well understood that the dealer's first call of a suit does 
not mean that he wants it for the trump by any means 
but rather that he is leading up to something better. 

Had Z bid a diamond, Y would have at once over- 
called with one royal, and they would have made five 
by cards to a certainty, unless B led out both his aces 
at the start, because if B leads a heart, Y will get two 
rounds of trumps and then lead hearts, getting a dia- 
mond discard on the fourth round. At no trump 2 
loses 50 in honors, aces easy. At royals, he wins five 
by cards at 9 a trick, four honors in one hand, and 
250 for the rubber, a difference of 417 points. 

Here is a hand in which the dealer's no-trumper is 
a perfectly legitimate call, but the third hand forgets 
that such calls are not invincible and that the dealer has 
to say something. 



72 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



' 






^ 4. 3 


2 










* J lO 


6 4- 










8 




« 




9 


6 


♦ Q lO 


4- 


3 2 




^ J 


5 


Y 




^ K Q lO 8 




* A 


K 


3 


2 


A 


B 


* 8 7 




OQ 


J 


9 


7 


K lO 6 3 




♦ J 








Z 




♦ 9 8 5 






^ A 7 














* Q 9 


5 










A 5 


4< 2 










4 A K 


7 


6 





Z dealt and called no trumps, which all passed. Now, 
according to the theory of probabilities, the dealer who 
bids to make the odd trick, which is to win seven out of 
thirteen, has a right to expect to find his partner with 
his share of the remaining six, which is two tricks. If 
the third hand does not hold two tricks he should, if 
possible, warn the dealer that the expected assistance 
will not be forthcoming. 

Some very good players believe it pays to warn the 
dealer with any good four card suit^ while others re- 
fuse to overcall with less than five in suit. The aver- 
age player seems to shrink from the responsibility of 
the extra trick which is required in overcalling a no- 
trumper with a suit and prefer to leave the dealer to 
his fate. 

But the point which is continually overlooked by the 
third hand, even among good players, is the availability 
of a trump suit for winning tricks. To get action on 
the trumps there must be a suit they can be used upon. 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE y2i 

Even five trumps may be of little use if the holder has 
to follow suit to everything at least twice, because the 
trumps cannot be brought into action until the fight is 
all over. But when there is a short suit, or a missmg 
suit in the hand, four or five trumps immediately in- 
crease in trick-taking value. 

The rule would seem to be that when you have a 
singleton, or a missing suit, four or five trumps are 
w^orth a great deal more than they would be otherwise, 
and there is much more reason for declaring them. 

Knowing this, Y should have overcalled the dealer's 
no-trumper with two royals^ showing that unless his 
spades were trumps his hand was below the average 
expectation of two tricks. With spades as trumps, it 
would come up to average. 

As it was the hand was played as a no-trumper and 
all Z could get out of it was his contract for the odd 
trick. A led a diamond and Z ran ofif his five spade 
tricks. He then tried to clear his clubs, letting A in to 
make three diamonds. B won the fourth diamond with 
the ten and led the king of hearts, so that all Z made 
was five spades and two aces. 

Had Y overcalled with two royals B would have led 
the king of hearts and Z would have pulled down all 
the trumps, leaving Y in the lead on the third round. 
At this point the beginner would probably make the 
mistake of leading the singleton, which is forcing him- 
self ; but the correct play would be to lead the clubs 
while there are still two re-entries to bring them in. To 
lead the diamond would cost two tricks. 

When A wins the first club he can return either of 



74 ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 

the red suits without affecting the result, as Z can ruff 
the third heart and Y would ruff the second diamond, 
and no matter which suit got in, the heart or diam.ond, 
Z would lead the club and clear it^ going game either 
way. 

It will sometimes happen that when the third hand 
overcalls a no-trumper the no-trumper will overcall him 
again. Under such circumstances, if the dealer is a 
good player, his second call is a feeler, and it is one of 
the most useful conventions in the new count. 

Put yourself in the dealer's position with a fair no- 
trumper and it will be clear that if you have declared 
no trumps and your partner has overcalled you with 
two royals there is nothing in his declaration that 
shows whether his spade suit is long and strong or 
simply long, because he would bid two royals in either 
case if the rest of his hand were a bust. 

By going back to his no-trumper the dealer says to 
his partner, '/If you have winning cards in spades^ as 
well as length, let me alone. . If only length, overcall 
me again/' 

Here is a rather interesting hand that recently came 
under the writer's notice which illustrates the work- 
ing out of this principle at the card table : 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



75 









^ 6 


5 3 2 


^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ « 


B^^^^^^^^^4» ^^ ^ 








♦ 5 


2 












7 


6 












♦ A 


J 7 


5 3 


Q J 




C? lO 7 






Y 


^ K 


8 4 


4k J 10 


9 






A 


B 


4Q 


8 7 


4- 


Q J 


4 


3 


2 


aX 


^j 


K 


10 5 




♦ 8 4< 


2 








Z 


♦ 9 








^ 


A 


9 












« A 


K 6 3 















A 


9 8 









4^ K Q 10 6 



Z dealt and bid one no trump. Y overcalled with 
two royals. In the face of this B did not hke the looks 
of a three heart contract, although he could ruff the 
spades^ so he passed. Z went back to two no trumps. 

This is putting the question to Y : ''Are your spades 
good for tricks or only for trumps?" 

Y's answer is silence. This means : "My spades are 
good for a sure trick at least/' because with five spades 
to the jack he would overcall again with three royals. 

In this hand Z knows just what he is doing. If his 
partner holds the ace of spades to five in suit, Z goes 
game, even if the rest of Y's hand is a bust. But if Y 
has not the spade ace the adversaries may clear either 
of the red suits on the first lead, Y having nothing out- 
side spades, and when they get in with the spade ace 
they will save the game before Z ever gets another 
lead. 

If any intelligent player will think this over the logic 
of the situation must be clear. Even if the red suit 



y(^ ■ ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 

that is opened has only five cards in it, if the ace of 
spades is against Z, it will bring in four tricks in that 
red suit and that saves the game; but if dummy lays 
down the ace of spades at the head of five in suit, the 
game is a certainty for Z, no matter what is led, unless 
A or B hold four to the jack. 



IX 

COMBINING THE HANDS IN DECLARING 

One great advantage of the new count lies in its elas- 
ticity. It gives the dealer a chance to chip in and wait, 
so as not to lose his entire interest in the pool they 
are bidding for. He can generally bid a trick in any- 
thing that he has in his hand, without fear of being 
left with it. 

This is true of all one trick bids except a royal. In 
other suits it is probable that among good players not 
more than one bid in three expresses any desire to have 
the suit named selected finally for the trump. Such 
calls are made in the hope that the partner has some- 
thing better.^ 

Poor auction players, of course, who do not under- 
stand that the philosophy of bidding is to lead up to 
something beyond what the individual hand shows and 
who are mostly recruited from the ranks of equally 
poor bridge players, w^ill be found to persist in declar- 
ing suits they would like to have for the trump, but 
their bids are all based on their own cards and they are 
completely oblivious to the strength of the bidding that 
combines the two hands as one. 

To this class belong all those w^ho declare a heart 
with such cards as five to the king ten and a trick out- 
side, often a doubtful trick at that. As long as they 
persist in this style of bidding, for them there is no 
salvation^ because they are not playing auction at all, 

77 



y8 ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 

but bridge, and instead of being a partner to the player 
opposite them, they are an enemy. The players they 
are actually helping are the adversaries. 

But the declarations of a good player, who can be 
depended on for two sure tricks in any suit he names 
but spades, afford something to build on. If he has not 
two tricks in the suit itself, he has one in it and one in 
another suit. He does not say he has five or six cards 
in the suit. He does not say he would like to have that 
suit for trumps. All he says is that he has two sure 
tricks in his hand, and at least one of them is in the suit 
named. 

He is never without the sure trick in the suit he calls. 

The importance of this point is often completely 
overlooked. Some persons will argue that as long as 
the dealer has two sure tricks in anything it is not 
necessary for either of them to be in the suit named, 
and they make this their excuse for declaring diamonds 
with five to the jack, holding three little hearts and two 
black aces on the side. The correct opening bid on all 
such hands is one club. 

In the old game of auction, when the dealer declared 
a suit, it was seldom that his partner had any choice in 
the matter of overcalling. The principle laid down in 
the text-books referred to the red, or winning suits. If 
the third hand could not support his partner in dia- 
monds but had a good heart suit of his own, he would 
overcall the diamond with a heart, because while he 
might have none of the diamond suit his partner might 
have two or three hearts. This principle is so important 
that it can never be too often insisted upon. 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



79 



But in playing the new count with royals there is 
frequently a choice, and good judgment shown in the 
exercise of this choice will usually decide the fate of a 
hand or of the game and rubber. Take this case : 











^ A 


Q 


6 


4- 2 














A K 


6 


3 














... 


. . . . 










lO 


9 


7 


♦ 


K 


9 


8 


7 5 


8 




9? K 


3 




Y 




^ J 




♦ J 


lO 


9 






A 




B 


Jk A 


Q 


8 


lo 


7 


4- 


3 




^ ^m 




JL^ 


OQ 


J 


9 


♦ 3 












Z 




♦ A 


Q 


6 




^ 


5 


















^ 7 


5 


4 2 










• 




A 


K 


8 6 














♦ 


J 


lO 


4 


2 







5 2 



Z dealt and bid a diamond, which A passed. Y went 
no trumps, on the theory that if his partner had the 
diamonds they had everything between them. This 
would be all right if Y had no better declaration, but 
he has a choice of three, and picks the most unsafe of 
all. 

In spite of the original declaration B led his long 
diamond suit and Z won the first trick with the king. 
Y then tried a king- jack-ten finesse in spades, letting B 
in again to clear his diamonds. 

Still having reentries, Y continued the spade, A dis- 
carding a small heart. B now led a small diamond 
for the third round, putting A in but refusing to over- 
take the fourth diamond, so that when A won Z's six 
with the seven and led the ten B played low and left A 



8o ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 

with the lead. This made A stop to consider his part- 
ner's reason for refusing to win the ten with the jack 
and make the nine. 

When a good player does something that you do not 
expect him to do there is always a reason for it. His 
reason may not be a good one, but he has one, and if 
you will make it a point to stop and figure it out it may 
save you a great many tricks in the course of a year. 

A came to the conclusion that the reason for leaving 
him in the lead was to force him to lead some suit 
through Y so that B should get the play after the de- 
clarer. This must be a suit in which B holds one of 
two things, a tenace, ace and queen^ or a guarded king. 
Which is it, and what is the suit ? That is the problem 
for A, and the position is interesting and instructive. 

If B has the ace and queen of hearts it does not mat- 
ter what A leads. B cannot have the guarded king in 
that suit, because A has the king himself. Y has dis- 
carded three hearts and a spade, so B has major ten- 
ace or nothing. But in clubs B might have either the 
tenace or the king guarded, and no matter which it is, 
the lead of the supporting jack from A's hand will be 
a useful card, so A tries it. 

For the last three tricks B put Y in with a spade, 
compelling him to lead away from his tenace in hearts, 
so the contract was set for three tricks, one of which 
was due to Y's discard of a spade in his attempt to keep 
the king of clubs twice guarded. 

After the hand Z found fault with his partner for 
not making it a heart instead of no trumps, but the 
heart contract would have likewise failed for three 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 8 1 

tricks, because B would then have opened with a trump, 
which is always the best play when you have every suit 
protected and they are all bad suits to lead away from, 
such as suits headed by two honors not in sequence. 
But for the original call B might have led a diamond. 

Y would win the jack of trumps with the queen and 
would probably think he might as well get two for one, 
as there is no way of getting dummy in the lead for a 
spade finesse. This is Y's best play, so as to get rid of 
the lead and get one of his kings led up to or get 
dummy in with the diamonds. If Y plays ace and then 
small, the trick goes to A. 

Knowing from his partner's opening with a trump 
that B must be protected in all the plain suits, A would 
try the jack of clubs as a feeler. The moment that 
held the tricky A would pull both of Y's trumps and B 
would let go a diamond and a spade, having already 
discarded one diamond. 

This would allow B to win the third club trick and 
establish his diamond nine by leading that suit twice 
and getting in twice with his spade tenace, which 
shows that even had Y called a heart he would have 
been set for three tricks on the contract, just as he was 
at no trumps. 

The correct overcall with Y's cards is a royal, for 
two reasons outside the always present possibility that 
the dealer may have something in spades but not be 
willing to bid two tricks on it. Y's spades are good 
for nothing unless they are trumps, whereas his hearts 
are potential trick winners either way. If Z has not 
two tricks in the diamond suit itself his outside trick 



82 ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 

must be in one of the black suits, as it cannot be in 
hearts, and if it is in either of the black suits Z gets in 
and Y gets discards on the diamonds. 

Played as a royal Y goes game with four by cards, 
no matter what B leads, as Z can always get in with his 
trumps. Suppose B starts with a diamond, as he cannot 
afford to lead trumps from a tenace. Dummy puts on 
the king and Y discards a club. Another winning dia- 
mond and Y discards another club. A third round of 
diamonds, and Y gets rid of the last club. After that, 
the only tricks left for A and B are the ace and queen 
of trumps, let them play as they may. 

There has been considerable discussion as to what 
the third hand should do when the dealer starts with a 
two trick call in a red suit, showing that it is not 
headed by winning cards, but is long and weak, and the 
third hand has none of the suit, but has a spade suit 
which is long enough to overcall with. 

There are two ways of looking at the question. As 
a rule an original two trick call by the dealer in any 
suit but spades means ^'Let me alone, no matter what 
you have." But this is usually taken as referring to a 
possible no-trumper, not to a better suit call. If a 
dealer calls two diamonds and third hand has no dia- 
monds^ but holds six average hearts, it is conventional 
for him to overcall, because the dealer may have two 
or three hearts, making eight or nine trumps between 
the two hands. 

Many good players maintain, however, that if the 
suit held by the third hand has winning cards in it he 
should let the dealer alone, because an original declara- 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 83 



tion of two tricks shows there are no winning cards in 
the suit as a suit, and if the trump is changed the whole 
suit will be worthless so far as taking tricks with it is 
concerned. 

But there is another view of the case. If that suit 
is left as the trump and all the high trumps are against 
it there are just so many tricks that are certain to be 
lost, and if the player who overcalls has nothing but the 
suit with which he takes his partner out, unsupported 
by reentries, he may never make anything out of it 
after all. 

Such hands do not often come up^ but when they do 
they are likely to make a change in the state of the 
score if they are not properly handled. On the whole 
it seems better to overcall with a strong suit than with 
a weak one, and it is usually easier to ruff out the suit 
that is overcalled than it is to get down all the big 
trum.ps by knocking two for one. 

Here is a hand which illustrates how differently the 
two ways of looking at the situation may affect the re- 
sult, depending on whether the original two trick call 
is left alone or third hand overcalls it with a strong 
royal. 



84 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 





^ ... 








*Q 


6 


5 2 




8 


7 


3 




♦ A 


K 


Q 


6 4 2 


9? K Q lO 






Y 




<s? A 8 3 


4k A K 9 


7 


A 




B 


♦ JIG 


lO 6 2 




A A 






Q J 9 5 4 


♦ lO 8 5 






Z 




♦ J 9 7 




^ 


J 


9 


7 


6 5 4 2 




* 8 


4. 


3 




A 


K 






♦ 


3 









Z dealt and declared two hearts. Y, having no hearts, 
but thinking his strong spade suit would be a good one 
to win tricks after the trumps were gone, passed the 
two hearts and the hand was played that way, A to 
lead. 

A led three rounds of clubs, B ruffing the third and 
leading queen of diamonds. As Z could see nothing 
in leading a spade, as he had nothing to discard, he led 
a trump, and A put on the ten second hand, holding 
the trick. Then he led another club, which B ruffed 
with the ace, after which A had to make two tricks 
with the king and queen of trumps, setting the con- 
tract for TOO points, as Z made only six tricks on his 
contract to make eight. 

If Y had overcalled the two hearts with two royals 
it is true that he cannot accomplish anything by ruffing 
out the heart suit, because Z cannot get in often 
enough. If he had one more re-entry the hand 
would be a grand slam for Y at royals. But 
once in on the diamond, which would be B's opening 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 8$ 

lead if Y were the declarer, Y can ruff a heart, lead 
back a diamond, ruff another heart and then let Z ruff 
the third round of diamonds, but Y could see that 
would not go game on the hand. 

The right play of the hand for Y when Z wins the 
first trick with the king of diamonds would be to lead 
a club, because that suit is just as long as the heart suit, 
seven cards between the two hands, and it has a re- 
entry. A would put on the king, betraying the posi- 
tion of the ace, and then no matter what A led Y must 
make the queen of clubs good, even if B gets in a ruff 
on the third round. 

The only thing that would stop Y from going game 
on the hand would be a trump lead, which A would 
not be likely to make if his partner dropped the ten of 
clubs on the first lead. To make his ace and force looks 
simpler. It would take a very good player to foresee 
that dummy would make two club leads by ruffing the 
third diamond. 

As a rule it would seem that it is not wise to leave 
the dealer in w^ith a long weak suit when you have a 
long strong suit to overcall with. The position seems 
to be much the same as choosing between the two suits 
in the one hand, and there is always the chance of ruf- 
fing out a long suit with the small trumps and winning 
tricks with the big ones. 

One point in favor of the contract that is backed up 
with the winning trumps is that it cannot be set back 
very much, w^hile the weak trump suit may be ; but the 
whole question is one that hinges so much on the rest 
of the hand that it is hardly one to be dogmatic about. 



X 

DEALER'S DEFENCE WITH WEAK HANDS 

Since the introduction of the new count many per- 
sons have naturally been led to ask whether or not the 
dealer is recommended to abandon the old svstem of 
communication between himself and his partner which 
was used by so many in playing auction^ no reference 
to the dealer's defensive tactics having been so far 
made in outlining the system of play that is intended 
to meet tfie new conditions of the count. 

The answer to this is that such a system is no longer 
necessary because the conditions that it was designed to 
meet no longer exist. In auction there were only two 
fighting suits, hearts and diamonds, the black suits 
being held in reserve for one of two purposes — to help 
out a no-trumper in the partner's hand or to defeat a 
declaration of the adversaries. 

The whole strategy of the game was then directed 
toward the no-trumper, because half the hand was no 
good for a suit call, and the system of communication 
between the partners was chiefly aimed at showing 
each other what thev had that would be useful if there 
were no trumps to interfere with it. 

That is to say everything was subordinated to show- 
ing aces and kings because they were good for tricks 
whether they were trumps or not. Trump declarations 
were usually a last resort and frequently left entirely 
to the second round of the bids. 

86 



^ ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 87 

Up to a certain point the system worked smoothly 
enough and had the great recommendation of sim- 
plicity. If the dealer did not want to play the hand, 
having no good declaration in his cards, he would name 
any suit in which he had at least one sure trick on the 
chance or in the hope that his partner might have the 
remaining two-thirds of the required strength for a no- 
trump declaration. 

If the dealer wanted to play the hand himself, hav- 
ing a good declaration of any kind in his own cards but 
no certainty of the game, instead of giving informa- 
tion he invited it and made it as easy as possible for his 
partner to give it by calling one spade. This put his 
partner under obligations to show any suit in which he 
had a sure tricky confident that the dealer had a good 
declaration of some kind and would make it after he 
had found out what was in the hand that would become 
his dummy. If the third hand had nothing he was 
compelled to call two spades and the dealer shaped his 
course accordingly. 

So far as intelligent declaring went, that part of the 
system w^as perfect, but the hitch in it arose when 
neither of the conditions mentioned existed in the deal- 
er's hand ; when he not only had no good declaration 
on his own cards but no sure trick in anything to show 
his partner. 

In such cases the dealer had to defend himself not 
only against the attacks of the adversaries but from the 
criticisms of his partner, who would justly complain 
if he were misled. If the dealer called a spade, that 
meant he had a good declaration of some kind in his 



88 ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 

own hand and forced his partner to take him out of it. 
When he had not a trick in his hand this was fatal. If 
he declared a suit in which he was long but weak his 
partner built up a series of bids on the belief that the 
dealer had sure tricks in the suit called, which was also 
fatal. 

The only way out of this was to make use of the call 
that the dealer never used unless he had the game in 
his own hand, and that was no trumps. This said to 
the partner, ''Sit still and say nothing unless you can 
do it all yourself, because I have nothing to show and 
do not want any information from you." 

Somehow or other this always went against the grain 
with the hardened bridge player^ who could not rid 
himself of the idea that he was putting his neck into 
a noose every time he bid no trumps without a trick in 
his hand. This in spite of the fact that experience 
went to show he would not be left with the declaration 
more than one time in ten unless his partner had the 
no-trumper. 

For the third hand to overcall one of these fake no- 
trumpers he would have to bid two tricks in a red suit 
or three tricks in clubs or six in spades. As there is no 
reason whv he should have one suit more than another 
he had to average up 13 — 2 hearts, 2 diamonds, 3 clubs, 
6 spades. Under the new count two in anything will 
overcall, which average up 8 only, as against 13. 

As a rule when the dealer started out with one no 
trump under the old system without a trick in his hand 
it was found either that the adversaries were strong 
enough to overcall him with a red suit or the partner 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



89 



had enough to save the no-trumper from serious dam- 
age. The catastrophes came when the adversaries did 
not have enough red strength in one hand or did not 
care to overcall. When that happened the dealer and 
his partner were defenceless. 

Take this hand as an example of how differently the 
two systems of counting affect the declarations which 
are, strictly speaking, defensive on the dealer's part : 









^ 


5 
















*Q 


10 


7 










A 


9 


2 






10 4 


2 


^ K 


J 


8 


7 6 4- 




9? Q 






Y 




9? A K 


8 6 


4k 3 








A 




B 


A A K 


6 


K 


Q J 


8 


3 


XX 




10 7 


5 4 


4 10 


9 3 








Z 




♦ A 5 






9? 


J 


9 


7 


3 










A 


J 


9 


8 


5 4 2 





6 
♦ Q 2 

Z was playing under the old system of defence and 
called no trumps, as he had not a trick in his hand. 
Nine players out of ten^ knowing Z was so weak, 
would have called two diamonds on A's cards, ''just to 
show partner," as they used to express it, that being 
the old bridge idea of the game. This would have 
let Z out^ and Y would have promptly passed. 
B would have lifted the diamond to two no trumps and 
made the game unless Z happened to open the spade 
and get the suit cleared before his partner played the 
ace of diamonds. 



90 ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 

But in this particular case A did not declare his dia- 
monds, having learned the lesson not to risk any free 
bids as second hand unless you have a chance to win 
the game. Y could do nothing but sit tight and hope 
for the best for the no-trumper, which might get 
through on the spade suit. B, having nothing but a 
no-trumper himself, thought he would have a few pen- 
alties, so he doubled and there was no escape for Z 
except the clubs, and to undertake nine tricks in clubs 
with a no-trumper against him is not a promising ave- 
nue of escape. 

Had Z shifted to clubs the contract would have been 
set for 300 points. As it was the no-trumper went 
down for 500, owing to the good fortune of A getting 
his diamonds cleared before Y got to work on the 
spades. 

Some of the bystanders thought that Z should have 
called the clubs at the start, instead of no trumps, and 
then if the third hand overcalled with no trumps to go 
three clubs, which was then a common system of cor- 
recting an erroneous impression made by the original 
call from weakness. Some thought A would have over- 
called a club with a diamond, and B would then have 
gone no trumps. In that case it would have cost Z 
five by cards, game and rubber, with 30 aces, a loss of 
340 points. 

Now let us look at the same hand under the new 
count, in which the object of the bidding is no longer 
to concentrate all the energies on leading up to a no- 
trumper, but to any sound declaration in any suit, as 
they all have a chance to go game. 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 9I 

Under the new system Z, although without a trick in 
his hand, has no fear of misleading his partner by call- 
ing a spade, as that is the accepted defensive call on 
the forced bid. The dealer may find it wise to declare 
two clubs on the second round, but he must not show 
the suit on the original declaration, as he has no sure 
tricks at the head of it. 

No matter what A does, Y will turn the spade into 
a royal, because with four fighting suits the third hand 
is no longer in the helpless condition that faced him un- 
der the old count. At royals Y will make two by cards 
unless B overcalls him with a no-trumper. 

The point is that no matter what A and B may do 
the dealer's defensive spade saves him from any serious 
loss in the way of penalties, whereas under the old 
count he laid himself open to loss in two ways, by 
overbidding his hand or by misleading his partner. 

Under the old system of defensive bids by the dealer 
there were some hands upon which he bid no trumps 
that came very near being genuine, and owing to the 
small declaring value of the black suits the partner had 
to take chances on the no-trumper going through if he 
had a black hand. Here is a case that came up about 
two years ago : 



92 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 









^ K 


J 


5 


4- 










4 A 


J 


9 


8 4 


2 








K 


6 


3 








8 




♦ 




• • • • 


> ■ • 


9? A 




^ 9 






Y 




lO 3 


*Q 


7 


5 




A 




B 


« 6 




A 


lO 


5 


4- 




9 


8 7 


♦ K 


8 


4 


2 




Z 




♦ A 
2 


J lO 9 




^ Q 


7 


6 










A K 


lO 


3 












OQ 


J 


2 







7 5 



♦ Q 6 3 



Although Z has three queens and a king jack ten he 
has not a sure trick in his hand, therefore he is forced 
under the old defensive system to call no trumps. A 
has nothing to say, and Y is certainly not going to un- 
dertake a contract to win three by cards in clubs in the 
face of his partner's warning that there is not a sure 
trick in any suit in Z's hand. B could do nothing but 
pass in his turn. 

A led his fourth best spade and B came back with 
the jack and ten, catching the queen and making the 
fifth and sixth tricks in the suit himself. In the mean- 
time dummy is whittled down to two diamonds, two 
hearts and three clubs, A having discarded two hearts. 

B boldly led the diamond right up to dummy's king. 
Z played the jack second hand and A ducked it, so as 
to get the suit solid for the next rounds. Y led the 
club, won with the king and came back with the ten, 
but was afraid to finesse it for fear of letting in all the 
diamonds, so that all Y and Z made on the hand was 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 93 

three tricks, king of diamonds and two clubs, the con- 
tract failing for four tricks, although the Y and Z 
hands do not look to be so weak. 

Play this hand under the new count and the dealer's 
defence in his opening call is not no trumps but one 
spade. When A passes Y bids a club and B declares 
a royal. With his stopper in spades and support in 
other suits Z would go to his partner's assistance with 
two clubs, but A would not be justified in bidding two 
royals, although some beginners would do so. 

The student should make a careful note of this point, 
because many persons would make the mistake of call- 
ing two royals with A's cards. The average expecta- 
tion of the one who makes the original declaration for 
the partnership, his partner having said nothing so far, 
that is, is to find two tricks to support him. If the 
partner has nothing more than these two tricks^ he has 
no right to bid on them because they are already in- 
cluded in the bid that has been made. 

If A should bid two royals he would be practically 
saying to his partner, ''I have more than the two tricks 
that you naturally expect me to have to support your 
declaration, therefore I increase your call one more 
trick," which is not true and might lead B out of his 
depth. 

B might go on to two royals himself, on the strength 
of his ability to ruff the suit declared against him, but 
Y would do the same thing on the same grounds, going 
three clubs. With so many losing cards in his hand 
B would probably stop bidding and lead the ace of 
spades. 



94 ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 

Y would trump his trick, and seeing that he had two 
good suits, either of which could be cleared at the ex- 
pense of one trick, he would at once go to trumps, 
playing the king from dummy and finessing the ten on 
the return, so as to make B lead a red suit if he got in. 

When the trump ten holds^ Y would pick up A's 
queen and establish his own heart suit, after which the 
only trick left for A and B would be the ace of dia- 
monds ; five by cards, game and rubber, for Y and Z, 
which is a very different result from being set for four 
tricks on a defensive call of no trumps. 

The difference in the two systems of original decla- 
rations by the dealer brought about by the new count 
lies entirely in the defence. When he is strong enough 
to attack he bids in much the same way under either 
system. The only exception is that he is not so apt to 
bid a spade and wait when he has a strong hand but 
is undecided between two calls, because under the 
present system he might be left with it, his partner 
being no longer under any obligation to pull him out. 
On the contrary the third hand is rather inclined to let 
all spade calls alone unless he is pretty strong himself. 

Under the old system the dealer was forced to choose 
between two evils — to deceive his partner by m.aking a 
call that gave a false impression of his holding or to 
undertake a contract that he had no hope of fulfilling 
unless he was simply anticipating his partner's bid and 
trusting to the kindness of his adversaries to take it 
off his hands. 

Under the new system the dealer does not care 
whether the adversaries take him out or not. His decla- 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 95 

rations on strength are not likely to be hurt very much 
unless his adversaries prefer penalties to winning 
games and his calls on weak hands are protected by the 
limit of JOG in penalties, which any player is willing to 
pay rather than see the other side go game on the 
hand. / 



XI 

INFERENCES FROM THE BIDDING 

In the old whist days the famous American Club 
team of Boston used to practise inferences from the 
fall of the cards by stopping at the eighth trick and re- 
quiring every member of the team to write down his 
individual opinion of the cards held by each of the 
three other players. The cracks worked up to the 90 
per cent, class at this kind of work. 

Probably nothing else would improve a player's 
game so fast as a little of this sort of thing at royal 
auction, but instead of waiting until the eighth trick 
for the inferences the players should take a recess at 
the end of the bidding, and each of them should write 
down what he thought the others had in their hands to 
justify the call made. 

It was found in the Boston practice that any serious 
errors in inference were usually due to errors in the 
play upon which the inference was based, such as not 
covering second hand when a player should have done 
so with the combination he held. On the same prin- 
ciple it should be obvious that errors made in infer- 
ences from the bidding at royals would quickly dis- 
close the mistakes in the bids on which the inferences 
were based and should prove a corrective. 

If the bid is justified by the cards held, especially 
bids on high cards in suit, and these bids are based 
on certain conventions which every good player is 

96 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 97 

familiar with, it should be obvious that any player mak- 
ing a bid on those lines might as well lay the cards on 
the table face up, as both his partner and his adver- 
saries should be able to read him for those cards in his 
hand. 

But one of the greatest errors that a player can fall 
into is making too rigid inferences until he is sure of" 
the character of the players with whom he is engaged. 
The writer will never forget a hand he played when the 
new count first came out, in which he bid two no 
trumps on inferences. Here are the cards he held, 
sitting on the dealer's right: 

<5? 9 7 2 

* Q J 8 6 4* 
3 

♦ K 8 7 3 

These are B's cards, on Z's deal, with A for B's 
partner and Y for the dealer's partner. 

Z started with one diamond, upon which B inferred 
that he held at least one sure trick in the suit, perhaps 
two. A doubled, showing he could stop the diamond 
suit twice, so he probably held king and queen and Z 
had nothing but the ace. Y pulled his partner out of 
the double with two clubs. 

It is now up to B to declare himself. From Y's bid 
he infers that Y cannot support Z's diamonds and is 
afraid to leave him with that contract for fear of a 
heavy loss. If A has two tricks in diamonds B has 
two in clubs as trumps, so Y cannot go game on that 



q8 royal auction bridge 

contract, therefore B passes, but Z goes back to two 
diamonds, and A, instead of doubling again^ calls two 
in hearts, which Y passes, and once more it is up to B. 

B's inferences from the bidding as it now stands are 
unchanged as to A's two stoppers in diamonds, as he 
doubled that suit originally, but Z must be very long 
in it and Y has no support in diamonds, having noth- 
ing but clubs. Z on the other hand cannot support his 
partner's club call^ so he goes back to the diamonds. 

Now if Y had anything in spades or hearts he would 
have supported his partner's original diamond instead 
of shifting, or at least would have overcalled A's two 
hearts on the second round. As Y passes the top 
spade should be in A's hand and B counts up A's trick 
winners as two in diamonds, one spade and at least 
two in hearts. Add these five to B's spade king and 
two clubs and there are eight sure tricks in sight at no 
trumps ; game if A has an extra spade trick, so B de- 
clared two at no trumps. 

Rather to his astonishment Y doubled, after which 
every one passed. 

How did he come out? 

Well, B made a trick with the ace of diamonds and 
could have made the king of spades. The adversaries 
chalked up 700 points in penalties. They are talking 
about the hand yet at that club. Here is the actual dis- 
tribution of the cards : 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



99 







^ K 


5 










A A 
K 


K lO 3 
9 5 








6 


♦ A 


J 6 - 


4- 


2 




^ J lO 8 


A- 




Y 


^97 




♦ 9 7 5 


2 




A 


B 


* Q J 


8 


6 4- 


OA Q 7 






3 






♦ 2 








Z 


A K 8 


7 


5 




^ 


A 


Q 3 










A ... 












J 


lO 8 6 4- 2 










A 


Q 


lO 9 


3 







Of course Z had no business to bid a diamond with- 
out a trick in the suit, but he was an old bridge player 
and had the habit. A's two stoppers were really only 
one, as a queen may be led through and killed. Y's 
excuse for the club bid was that he wanted to show his 
partner where he could win some tricks on the side, 
and it had the desired effect of coaxing Z back to the 
diamond call. A explained his ridiculous bid of two 
hearts, by saying he thought it would push Z up to 
three diamonds, which he did not think Z could make. 

On the play Z led the top diamond and dummy put 
on the ace second hand, which is always the best 
chance to make two tricks in the suit when a jack is 
led through. Dummy then led a club and the king 
held second hand, Z discarding a small spade. This 
discard discouraged Y from coming through with a 
spade, as he had intended doing, so he led the king of 
hearts, which was certainly a stroke of genius. 

The next heart Z won with the queen and came 



lOO 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



along with another diamond, but dummy refused to 
put on the queen, hoping Y would block the suit, which 
he did. As Y had no more hearts he was obliged to 
try the spade, and led the jack. B passed it up, be- 
lieving Z would do the same, of course, as dummy had 
nothing but the deuce^ but Z jumped on it with the 
queen and made three diamonds^ and the three aces 
made the last three tricks. 

A small slam against a contract to make two by 
cards at no trumps, the declaration being based on in- 
ferences from the bidding ! Moral : You have got to 
know who is doing the bidding. 

Some of the most difficult inferences are probably 
those based on doubling, because it is sometimes hard 
to tell what the doubler's object may be. Here is a 
hand in which every suit but the spade was doubled by 
some one or other: 











^ 


J lO 


7 


6 












4k A K 


6 














7 
















♦ lO 7 


6 


5 4 

^ A 




^ ... 




Y 




9 


A J 


9 


8 7 


4. 


2 


A 


B 


A lO 


5 


A 


J 


6 3 


2 




K 


9 


♦ J 


3 








Z 




♦ A 


Q 




^ 


K Q 


2 












*Q 3 
















Q lO 


8 


5 4 












♦ 


K 9 


8 







8 5 4. 3 



Z dealt and started with one no trump, his explana- 
tion after the hand being that he figured king and 
queen as good as the ace in hearts and his cards were 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE lOI 

therefore queen above average, with fair protection in 
three suits. This is a little sketchy for a no-trumper, 
but many players believe in such declarations on a 
dealer's forced bid. 

A bid two clubs, new count, which Y doubled^ to 
show two stoppers and encourage his partner to go 
ahead with the no-trumper. B went two hearts, partly 
to pull his partner out in case Z should not go no 
trumps again and partly because it was a good bid on 
his cards. He inferred strength in everything but 
clubs with Z and although he might lose his king of dia- 
monds and two clubs, he ought to get in twice on the 
spades and make some hearts, now that A knows what 
to lead, if Z goes on with the no-trumper. 

Z did not go back to the no-trumper but doubled 
the two hearts instead^ whereupon A bid three dia- 
monds and it went around to Z, who doubled that. 
When A and Y both passed it was B's last say. What 
could he infer from the bids up to that point ? 

His inferences were that Y had two tricks in clubs, 
but that A had a long suit of it. A could not have 
anything in hearts or he would have supported the 
heart bid, therefore the hearts lie badly for B. A 
further inference was that A's diamonds must be 
stronger in trick winning cards than the clubs or he 
would have called that suit first. Z's last double is on 
general principles that A cannot make three by cards 
in diamonds against the situation disclosed by the bids, 
which is quite right. 

The result of B's inferences was that he would prob- 
ably lose less at no trumps than in hearts, if he made 



I02 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



it, or than his partner would in diamonds if he were 
left with it^ so he bid three no trumps, which was 
necessary under the new count at ten a trick. Rather 
to Y's astonishment Z did not double. On the play B 
made two by cards. 

Z opened with the fourth best diamond and the only 
tricks they got were the king and queen of clubs, two 
hearts, B passing the suit twice, and the spade king. 

Another difficult matter in inference is to divine part- 
ner's motive in making bids which are promptly 
abandoned on the next round, especially when it looks 
as if he should have made the second bid first. The 
beginner should never forget that good players have 
objects in view when they depart from the beaten track, 
and it will always pay to stop and figure them out. 
Here is a case involving this sort of inference which 
will probably illustrate the point better than any de- 
scription : 

^84-3 

4k J 3 

Q 9 7 6 3 2 

4|k A K 



^ A Q lO 7 
« K Q lO 8 



0^ lO 



6 

7 



2 
6 




9 
9 



5 
5 



8 6 5 4-2 



^ K 

* 4- 
K 

♦ Q 



2 

J lO 8 
J 7 3 



5 4. 



Z dealt and bid a diamond. A bid two clubs and Y 
promptly went two diamonds. Some persons might 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE IO3 

be tempted to call a royal on B's cards, but he felt com- 
pelled to pass^ as he had no more than the conventional 
two tricks in his hand, on which he is not justified in 
increasing his partner's bid. When it got round to A 
he bid two hearts, which Y passed. 

It is now B's turn to think. He did not ask himself 
what was the object of the shift, but what was the ob- 
ject of overcalling one diamond with two clubs, when 
it would have been easier to do so with one heart. B's 
inference was that his partner's object was to make it 
easier for him to show two suits, and that A did not 
really want either of them for the trump, but was 
hoping B would go no trumps if he could only stop the 
diamonds. 

The beginner should observe that if A calls the heart 
first and either Y or Z go two diamonds A would 
have to bid three clubs to show his second suit^ and 
both Y and Z might easily refuse to overcall that, as 
A's own cards show they are not likely to make three 
in diamonds, much less bid it, and A would be foolish 
to risk a three trick contract in clubs on the chance 
that his partner was able to take him out of it with a 
no-trumper, because if B cannot take him out the clubs 
will never go game. 

B having figured the thing out right that the two 
club bid was to make it easy for Y and Z to overcall 
for only two tricks in diamonds, went two no trumps, 
and Z at once w^ent on to three diamonds. A, now sure 
of his ground, called three no trumps and when Y went 
five diamonds A went four no trumps and B made a 
grand slam on the hand, the ace of diamonds winning 



104 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



the first trick and six hearts and six clubs coming 
along after it. * - 

Here is an example of inference of a different kind : 









^ lO 


9 


2 












* Q 


J 


5 


3 










9 


8 










K 


J 


♦ 


ID 


9 


7 


2 

^ Q 




^ A 






Y 




8 


♦ A 


lO 


9 7 


2 


A 




B 


A 6 


4* 


J 


6 


4 




A A 




^# 


7 


5 


♦ Q 


6 








Z 




♦ J 


8 




^ 


6 














4k K 


8 














A 


K 


Q 


9 3 


2 








♦ 


A 


K 


5 


4 





7 5 4 3 



Z dealt and called a diamond, as he did not care to 
risk the no-trumper with two unprotected suits. A 
declared two in clubs, which Y passed. As B had no 
winners at the head of his heart suit and seven losing 
cards in his hand he let the two clubs stand. Z shifted 
to two no trumps. 

A's inference was that Z had a solid diamond suit 
and a stopper in clubs. He could have nothing in 
hearts, as A had that suit himself. To justify Z's 
going no trumps he must have some winning spades, 
but his weakness in clubs and hearts forbid his going 
no trumps originally. 

What Z is figuring on then in order to make his no- 
trumper is a club lead. Having satisfied himself that 
he had Z's hand down about right, A passed. So did 
Y and B. 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE IO5 

Now^ if A's inferences are correct, the only way to 
make Z a present of the game is to lead a club, so A 
carefully avoids that suit and leads up to Z's inferred 
weakness in hearts, beginning with the king and fol- 
lowing up with the ace. The third heart B overtook 
with the queen and ran down the rest of the suit, but 
Z was clever enough to keep two of each of his strong 
suits so as to prevent a spade being established against 
him by one lead. 

A's inferences enable him to set the contract for 50 
points. If he leads a club Z goes game in a walk, yet 
many players would lead that suit, so as to get it 
cleared up, having such re-entry cards in hearts. 



XII 

IMPORTANCE OF THE CLUB SUIT 

In the old game of auction bridge the club suit 
played a very unimportant part. It was cut out from 
both ends of the game. It was too expensive for 
safety bidding and too cheap to go game^ being out- 
side the pale of protection in the first case and outside 
the possibility of reaching thirty points in the second. 
Many of the best players would not mention clubs in 
their bids unless they held a solid suit of it, while 
others called it only as dealer, and then only with the 
top honors. 

In the analysis of the opening bids made by a dealer 
in 500 hands it was found that he called a club only 
twenty-six times, or about once in twenty deals, the 
conventional strength on which such bids were based 
being at least five in suit, headed by two tricks, such 
as ace and king, or with three honors of any kind^ re- 
gardless of length in suit, but with possible trick out- 
side. The whole idea of the club suit call by the dealer 
was to encourage the partner to go no trump, but it 
was always understood that the invitation should be 
strong enough to stand if the player was left with it. 

The third hand never supported his partner in clubs 
unless the score was advanced enough to put them 
game. If the second hand overcalled the club, which 
good players seldom did, third hand would pass, unless 
he had a safe declaration of his own. He would never 

106 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



107 



bid two clubs^ because if the intervening bid was 
strong enough to go game it would overcall him and 
he was wasting his breath on the club call. If the in- 
tervening bid could not go game it could probably de- 
feat a two trick contract in clubs. 

Just as the old bridge players used to shrink from 
what they called the fatal diamond, so the auction play- 
ers seemed to shirk the hybrid club. But now, playing 
royals, five clubs to the ace and king is as good as a 
diamond with the same strength^ and the partner will 
support such a bid just as quickly as he would have 
supported a red suit in the old game. The clubs stand 
where the diamonds used to be, at six a trick, and in 
their place they are just as good as diamonds, as it 
takes five by cards in either suit to go game. 

This change in the position and importance of the 
club suit on the fighting line brings about some re- 
markable differences in the bidding. Take this case : 









^ A 


7 


6 














A K 


10 


8 6 2 




• 








7 


2 










J 10 8 


5 


^ K 


6 


2 








^ K 


2 




Y 




9? 9 




A 5 








A 




B 


A 7 


3 




K 


3 








OQ 


J 


8 6 4- 


♦ A 


J 10 8 








Z 




♦ Q 


9 


5 4-3 




^ 


Q 


4. 


3 




• 








* A 


Q 


J 9 4- 












A 


10 


9 5 












A 


7 













I08 ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 

This hand was played some years ago and was noted 
at the time from the fact that a bold no trump bid on 
the part of either Y or Z would have won the rubber, 
but as they were a game in and cautious Z called a 
club and A said a heart, which they all passed. A just 
made the odd by careful play, although he should have 
lost it, had Y and Z played better. 

Had Z called no trump and A gone hearts Y would 
have doubled and Z would have gone two no trumps, 
and if A had persisted with his hearts in spite of the 
double he would have been doubled again and set for 
200 if not for 300. If Z is left with his contract he 
makes three by cards at no trump. 

Now look at the bidding on this hand under the new 
count, clubs worth six a trick: Z would still call that 
suit originally, as it is a much safer bid than no trumps. 
When A overcalls with a heart Y would support his 
partner's clubs. Now if A goes two hearts Y would 
double to show the suit stopped and Z could either let 
the double stand, return to the clubs or go no trumps. 

If Z went no trumps the double and the no-trumper 
would effectually shut off A from going further and 
B would hardly be rash enough to bid three royals 
against it. Z would go game at no trumps^ being led 
up to that bid by his partner's knowing it was worth 
while to support the club call in the first place, which 
it was not at 4 a trick. 

Even if Z did not care to risk the no-trumper for 
fear of the spades and stuck to his clubs, bidding three 
tricks, he would go game by winning the first heart 
trick with the queen and getting a heart discard later 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



109 



on the spade king after drawing B's trumps. This 
would estabhsh a cross ruff, and the only tricks for A 
and B would be the ace of spades and the king of 
diamonds. 

The value of the club suit as a game winning possi- 
bility sometimes leads to some interesting bidding. 
Here is a hand upon which there was a great differ- 
ence of opinion as to the correct bids, that question 
being more interesting than the play, which was 
marred by a bad opening : . 











^ 


J 


2 














A 6 














Q 


9 


8 7 4 2 




K 


7 5 


4. 


♦ A 


Q 


7 


2 


^ A 


3 




Y 




^ 10 9 8 


« 10 


9 


2 






A 




B 


* J 4. 3 


5 


3 




• 




XX 




aJ 


OAK 


♦ 8 


3 










Z 




♦ K J IC 




^ 


Q 


6 














♦ A 


K 


Q 8 7 5 










J 


10 


6 










♦ 


9 


6 







Z dealt and called a club, A bidding a heart. Y 
shifted to two in diamonds to show his partner that he 
could not support the clubs. B, instead of bidding two 
hearts, thought it better to show his partner what suit 
he was assisting with, so he doubled the two diamonds, 
leaving it to A to go back to two hearts if he saw fit. 

Z passed the double, hoping it would stand, but 
being afraid to redouble for fear of forcing A back to 



no ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 

^ —-. — — • — — — — — — — — — — — — — » — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — «• — — — -• — » — — — • — •••■^* 

hearts. But A went back to the hearts himself, figur- 
ing his hand as good for two by cards if B could stop 
the diamonds twice, and Y having said his say passed. 

When it got around to Z he figured the heart con- 
tract might easily go game, but that all he could lose 
on Y's diamond contract would be B's two stoppers 
in trumps and two tricks in hearts, as Y must have at 
least two tricks probable in spades to justify him in 
calling a suit in which four honors were against him, 
two in B's hand and two in Z's. So Z bid three dia- 
monds, and B could not go three no trumps with the 
whole club suit declared against him. 

B opened the hand badly, leading his own spade suit 
instead of his partner's hearts, his excuse being that 
he had the re-entries for his suit certain in trumps. 
The consequence was that Y got three rounds of clubs 
and discarded both his losing hearts. After Y had 
ruffed a heart he led ace and another spade, Z's ten of 
trumps shutting out A, Another heart and another 
ruff and Y was all trumps, so that the only tricks A 
and B made were the two top trumps. 

Here is a case that recently came under the writer's 
notice in which the dealer was able to snatch the decla- 
ration from his partner just in time to save him from 
disaster, thanks to the counting value of the club suit 
as it now stands: 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



III 





■ 




^ K 


5 


2 








♦ J 


9 










K 


Q 


7 




J 8 7 




♦ K 


J 


6 


5 4- 


^ Q 






Y 




^ A lO 6 5 4 3 


^ 8 
A 


6 

9 6 5 


4- 


2 


A 




B 


* 5 4- 

J lO 


♦ Q 










Z 




♦ lO 9 2 




^ 


• • • 


• • • • 




.. 








♦ A 


K 


Q lO 7 3 2 











8 


3 







♦ A 8 7 3 



Z dealt and started with a club. A called a diamond 
and Y promptly went no trumps. B shifted to two 
hearts, and Z, although he knew his partner must have 
the diamond suit safe, was not so sure about the hearts 
and thought it just as well to show his great strength 
in clubs by overcalling B. 

Y did not understand the warning, or did not heed 
it, and took his partner's call as a hint for him to go 
ahead with his no-trumper if he had the hearts stopped 
as well as the diamonds, so he called two no trumps. 
This B passed, but Z^ still uncertain, overcalled with 
four clubs, and the play proved that his judgment was 
correct, although there was a good deal of discussion 
as to Y's bidding, depending on the position of the 
lead and the suit led of course. 

Had Y been left with his no-trumper it would have 
been B's lead and he would have led the jack of his 
partner's suit, diamonds, which would enable A to 
mark both king and queen with Y. With a solid club 



112 ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 

suit laid on the table, the ace of spades with it and the 
two best diamonds against him^ A would easily have 
seen that his only hope was the hearts, and Y's no- 
trumper would have been set for two tricks. 

On the club declaration, A having the lead, he made 
his ace of diamonds and then tried the heart through 
dummy's king, but never made another trick, Z scor- 
ing a little slam, with nine honors, a gain of no points, 
to say nothing of the value of a game won, instead 
of the lOO points that would have been lost had Y been 
allowed to hold his no-trumper. 

The club suit is also very useful upon occasion to 
show the partner an assisting suit in case he wishes to 
go on with his own bid or to push up an adversary. To 
do this under the old count was absurd, as a shrewd 
adversary would at once drop out and leave the con- 
tract in clubs to its fate, as it could never go game. 

But as the count stands now clubs can go game, and 
when a player names that suit either as a pusher or as 
an assist it is dangerous to leave him with it, as he may 
be off with the game in his pocket before you know it. 
Here is a hand in which there was some lively bidding, 
starting with a club assist, but getting a trifle rash 
toward the end : 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



113 















^ Q 


10 


9 8 




















♦ A 


K 


Q 5 4 




















J 


3 












7 


6 








♦ 


8 


4« 






4- 


3 




V J 






Y 




^ A 


2 


4k 8 


6 












A 




B 


A 3 


2 






8 
















7 


5 


4. 


2 


♦ K 


Q 


J 


10 


9 


6 


2 




Z 




♦ A 


5 


3 






^ 


K 


5 




















♦ J 


10 


9 7 




















A 


K 


Q 10 9 


6 


















♦ 


7 















Z dealt and called a diamond. A bid a royal and Y 
two clubs, simply as an assist. This has lately become 
a common trick with good players, who prefer to name 
a very strong suit, with which they can assist the part- 
ner, instead of simply increasing his bid, and leaving 
him in the dark until he comes to play the hand as to 
where the assistance lies. 

The beginner should note the difference in this sys- 
tem between increasing a partner's bid when a player 
holds more than his share of tricks, but scattering. Give 
Y in this hand only the ace of clubs^ but the ace of 
spades and his four good hearts, and his call is two 
diamonds ; but when the assisting strength is all in one 
suit and he is willing to be left with the contract in 
case his partner does not care to go on the correct call 
is the suit. 

B bid two royals, which was not justified by his 
cards, because he has only one trick in his hand out- 
side the trumps and is not short enough in any suit 



114 ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 

to get in a timel}^ ruff, but some players have a very 
exaggerated idea of the value of two aces. 

Z did not know whether his partner's bid meant that 
he was weak in diamonds or not, but he was very sure 
of his own strength in the club suit, so he dropped the 
diamonds and bid three clubs against the tw^o royals. 
A, without stopping to count up his own six losing 
cards^ simply jumped to the conclusion that B had as- 
sisted on two sure tricks, and went three royals. 

This Y passed, but Z, afraid of losing the game and 
rubber, determined to take a chance and bid five clubs, 
abandoning his diamonds entirely, and on the play Y 
made a small slam. 

It was B's lead and he started wath the ace of spades. 
Had he dreamed of w^hat was coming he would prob- 
ably have made his ace of hearts at once, but instead 
of that he led the diamond, hoping to find his partner 
void. This allowed Y to pick up the trumps, force Z 
with a spade and take four discards of his losing hearts 
on Z's diamond suit. 

As an invitation or forced bid bv the dealer, w^hen 
he does not particularly care about having clubs for 
trumps, the suit takes the same rank as the heart or the 
diamond and should be declared on the same princi- 
ples, that is, with two top honors and at least four or 
five in suit or with enough tricks outside to make up 
for the strength that is lacking in the suit itself. 

It seems to take the average player some time to get 
accustomed to looking upon five clubs to the king 
queen with an outside ace as just as desirable to bid on 
as if the clubs were a red suit in the old game of auc- 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE II5 

tion, and there seems to be some hesitation still on the 
part of the partner who, if he is an old auction player, 
has been so long in the habit of regarding an original 
club call as showing a practically solid suit. In the 
old auction days a call of two clubs was usually taken 
as a command to the partner to make it no trumps if 
he had the ace of anything in his hand to get in with. 

But now, under the new count, an original declara- 
tion of two clubs would mean just the opposite, as it 
would be made only on a long suit, not headed by the 
winning cards, and would be almost a command to 
the partner to let it alone, just as the call of two hearts 
meant for the partner not to take it away with a no- 
trumper. 

The principle is the same in both cases. The player 
with a long weak suit that is good for nothing unless 
it is the trump would much rather have his partner's 
aces and kings laid on the table to help him out than to 
be obliged to lay his string of trash on the table as an 
answer to his partner's call in some other suit or in no 
trumps. 

In the days of straight bridge it was an axiom that 
if the dealer called a heart and his partner, the dummy, 
had a no-trumper it was a game hand, but if the dealer 
made it no trumps and the dummy had nothing but 
hearts it was a case of "you'll be sorry when you see 
me" on dummy's part. 

This situation should never arise at auction^ as each 
of the partners has a chance to correct the error into 
which the bridge player so often fell when he had to do 
it all himself. 



XIII 
BIDDING ON COMMONPLACE HANDS 

The beginner frequently finds fault with the average 
text-book on auction bridge because it seems to confine 
its examples to hands out of the ordinary, just as the 
text-books on whist used to give nothing but deals in 
which there w^ere big swings. ''What are we to do 
with the ordinary hands?" asks the beginner. ''Show 
us how to play the commonplace hands that one holds 
nine times out of ten and in which there are no coups.'' 

As a rule such hands do not make any great or last- 
ing impression, and many of them are what the whist 
players used to call "pianos,'' because there is nothing 
in them but the one bid and the one result if the hand 
is properly played. One player of the four gets the 
cards and the three others have nothing to do but to 
follow suit. 

If the hand is properly played ! But how often is a 
hand perfectly played? Probably not once in three 
times. In every rubber, no matter how ordinary the 
situations or how equal the distributions, there are 
points which none but the finished player would see. 
Tricks are lost which should have been won, games are 
thrown away that should have been saved^ to say noth- 
ing of the errors in the bidding that has preceded the 
play. 

In order to see just how many such hands there 
would be in the course of an ordinary rubber, hands 

ii6 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



117 



that were not worth talking about, four players at a 
club agreed to play a rubber and make notes of every 
hand just as it came along. The result was that they 
found that every hand had its points, in that rubber at 
least, a bad bid here and a trick lost there, with a risky 
double that lost the rubber thrown in. 

It took just six deals to end the matter. Here they 
are: 









^ Q 


8 












4k J 


10 


9 8 








A 


9 


7 4* 




4. 


2 


♦ Q 


J 


2 




^ A 






Y 




^ K J 10 


*Q 


6 






A 




B 


* A 7 5 


6 


5 


2 




jttk 




^ 


Q 10 3 


♦ K 


10 


7 


5 4 




Z 




4k 9 3 




^ 


9 


7 


5 










A K 


4- 


3 2 








K 


J 


8 








♦ 


A 


8 


6 





Z dealt and started with a spade. A bid a royal, Y 
passed and B said no trumps, which all passed. 

Z led a small club and B put on the queefi second 
hand from dummy^ which is recognized as the best 
chance to make two tricks in the suit when there is 
only one guard to the queen and the ace is fourth hand 
without the ten. Y played the Foster echo with his 
second best club, the ten, showing only one higher, 
which Z could easily read as the jack. 

Dummy led the heart ace and followed with a small 
one, B running off five tricks in that suit. Z's discards 



ii8 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



were a spade and a club, Y letting go the nine of dia- 
monds as an echo, and the nine and jack of clubs. 
When B led the nine of spades to the king, Z put on 
the ace and led the eight of diamonds to his partner's 
signal. Y came back with the club^ B putting on the 
ace and leading another spade, missing the game by 
one trick. 

There was some discussion about the possibility of 
making four diamond tricks for Y and Z, but that was 
found to be impracticable. It is interesting to note 
that if B had left his partner in with the royal he would 
have lost the odd trick, and that if B had bid hearts 
instead of no trumps he would have fallen just short 
of game in that contract, getting only three by cards. 



^ lO 

* Q 6 5 
A K lO 

♦ K lO 7 



9 7 



^ K J 6 4. 

A J 8 2 

Q 4- 2 

♦ Q J 5 




With the score 20 to o in his favor Z dealt this hand 
and bid no trump. A overcalled with two diamonds 
and Y, who was not sure of stopping the diamonds, 
passed. B, who could not support his partner in dia- 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE II9 

monds, bid two hearts, which Z passed, and A, who 
counted on his partner for some sure tricks in hearts, 
went on to three diamonds. 

With the hearts declared on his right Z thought he 
was good for four tricks, and if his partner could take 
one, they could set the contract, so he doubled. 

Y led the spade queen and it went to A's king. A 
got out three rounds of trumps, as dummy could not 
ruff anything, discarding two hearts from dummy. Y 
led two more spades, Z winning the third round and 
leading the ace of hearts, followed by the queen^ which 
A ruffed. A then played a Deschapelles coup, leading 
the queen of clubs to make the king good for a re- 
entry for the spade^ but Z ducked the queen. A led 
another club and finessed the ten, which Z had to win 
with the ace. A made the next tricks with his two 
trumps and the king of clubs, but lost his contract by 
one tricky doubled, loo points against simple honors. 

In this hand the disaster is due to B's uncalled for 
bid of two hearts, which forced his partner out of his 
depth. Granted that he cannot support the diamonds, 
his partner must have a no-trumper to support B's 
hearts, and that combination is already declared against 
him in Z's hand. Had B let his partner alone A would 
have made his contract, but it is doubtful if Z would 
have doubled. Had Z overcalled with two no trumps 
he would have been set for a trick. 



I20 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 









^ A 


J 


9 6 5 4 








4^ A 


4- 










A 


9 


4 2 




Q 


2 


♦ 


6 








^ K 






Y 




9? 8 3 


* K 


8 


2 




A 




B 


* 9 5 3 


J 


lO 


7 5 


3 




K 


♦ K 


3 








Z 




♦ A Q lO 8 




^ lO 7 












* Q 


J 


lO 7 6 








Q 


8 


6 








^ 


J 


9 


5 





7 4 2 



Z dealt with the score 20 to o against him and bid a 
spade as he had not the top honors in clubs. A passed, 
refusing to pull an adversary out of a spade call. Y 
bid a heart, as safer than no trumps, although he had 
three aces. B bid one royal, which both Z and A 
passed. 

The bidding between Y and B went on to two hearts, 
two royals and three hearts^ at which point B stopped, 
as he held two losing hearts and three losing clubs at 
least and his trump suit was far from solid, but A took 
it up and bid three royals on the strength of his heart 
stoppers. But for the strengh in hearts on his left A 
might have doubled three hearts instead. 

Z led the club queen and followed with the jack, 
dummy passing both rounds. Y led the ace and an- 
other heart, hoping to find his partner short. This let 
dummy lead the trumps and bring down all of Z's. By 
putting dummy in with a club A got a discard of the 
diamond on the king of hearts, making four by cards, 
four honors and the game. 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



121 



On the heart contract Y should have stopped at two 
tricks when his partner started with a spade bid and 
did not support him. He would have been set had he 
tried to get three. 







^ Q 


J 


9 


6 4 








* A 


J 










8 


7 


4. 








♦ Q 


9 


2 


• 




9? lO 2 






Y 




^ A 


5 


* K lO 9 


6 


2 


A 




B 


♦ Q 


8 7 4 3 


Q J 6 










mi^ 


A 


K lO 


♦ A 8 6 








Z 




♦ K 


7 3 




^ 


K 


8 


7 


3 








« 5 















9 


5 


3 


2 





♦ J lO 5 4- 



Z dealt with a game in, the score love all and lOO 
points in penalties on his side. He bid a spade. A 
passed, refusing to pull Z out. Y did not care to lose 
his advantage in the score and let the spade stand, 
which prompted B to go no trumps, and every one 
passed, Y still refusing to risk the other side's getting 
back that lOO points in penalties, which they might do 
if he bid two hearts. In this he was wise, as he would 
have failed to make the odd trick in hearts. 

Z opened with the fourth best heart, which was 
rather fortunate, for had he avoided that suit on ac- 
count of its being headed by a single honor and led the 
spade B would have got his clubs cleared before Y and 
Z got anything in shape. 

B held off one round and Y returned the smallest 



122 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



hearty as he saw he might have more than his partner 
if B had one left. B led a small club when he got in 
and Y took the trick and made three hearts. In the 
discards A kept all four of his clubs, two spades and 
a diamond, B holding tv/o of each of the black suits 
and three diamonds. Although he made all the tricks 
after the hearts were gone he stopped just one short 
of game with 30 aces." 

No one had any remarks to make about this hand. 









^ Q 


10 


4- 


2 










A ... 


.... 












OQ 


J 


7 4-3 






J 9 8 


6 


♦ A 


10 


9 


7 




^ A 


5 




Y 




9? 7 




♦ 3 








A 




B 


* A 


K Q 10 9 5 4. 2 


A 


9 6 2 








5 




♦ 6 


4 








Z 




♦ Q 


8 3 




^ 


K 


3 














4k J 


8 


7 6 










K 


10 


8 










# 


K 


J 


5 


2 





Z dealt with the score 20 to o in his favor, but a 
game against him, and bid a spade. A, with his eye 
still on the 100 penalties and a game ahead, refused to 
take him out, but Y bid a diamond and B at once said 
two clubs. 

When Z passed A overcalled with two hearts, as he 
could not support the clubs, and Y, who saw no chance 
to set the heart contract with a club suit to support it, 
and afraid of losing the rubber, bid three diamonds, 
which B promptly overcalled with four clubs. 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE I23 

About this time Z woke up. He saw that his partner 
was afraid of both the clubs and the hearts ; therefore, 
he argued, Y's hand must be all diamonds and spades, 
and the spades ought to be pretty good to support a 
bid of three in diamonds. With the idea of giving Y 
the hint that he could support the spades, Z bid three 
royals, which seemed to take A quite by surprise. After 
some consideration he passed, and so did B. 

A led his partner's suit instead of his own, and 
dummy ruffed the first trick. When B dropped the 
deuce Z read the trey as a singleton and at once led 
three rounds of trumps, finessing the ten on the sec- 
ond round. Now, if he has read A's hand rights A is 
all diamonds and hearts and B cannot hold more than 
two red cards, so Z leads a small diamond. 

A held off, hoping for tenace with his ace and nine 
eventually, but the jack won and the small one re- 
turned brought the king and then the ten from Z, B 
discarding clubs, marking him with one heart only. A 
underplayed the heart, hoping to kill Y's re-entry for 
the diamonds^ but Z won the trick with the king and 
led the suit^ fight back, making five by cards, four 
honors and the game. 

B would have lost two tricks had he undertaken to 
win five tricks in clubs. Even at four he was over- 
bidding his hand. Y could have made four by cards 
in diamonds if he had had the courage to draw all the 
trumps after being forced on the first trick and had 
taken the finesse in spades. 



124 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



^ K 9 2 

* Q 9 
Q 7 

♦ A J lO 6 5 



<^ Q 5 4 

♦ J 8 5 

A lO 9 4 3 

♦ 4-2 



Y 




^ J lO 7 


A 


B 


* K lO 4 
K J 8 


Z 




♦ K Q 7 



6 



^ A 8 6 3 
♦ A 7 6 3 2 

5 2 
#98 

Z dealt, game all, and bid a club, having a trick out- 
side to make up for the trick he was short in the club 
suit itself. A called a diamond, which his cards do 
not justify, as he has only one trick in his hand. Y 
bid a royal and B called two diamonds^ as he had more 
than the average of two tricks to support his partner. 

Z, on the other hand, with just two tricks, declined 
to support Y's bid, but Y himself took a chance on two 
royals, and B, counting on his partner for two tricks, 
which he should have had to justify his diamond bid, 
doubled the two royals. 

This is a rash double, although B sits on the right 
side of the strong hand. The proper point of view 
would be that Y would have to make four by cards 
to win the rubber, but if he is doubled, his contract 
wins it. Instead of that B was too anxious to get back 
those 100 points in penalties on the second hand. 

On the play Y had a narrow escape. B led the jack 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 1 25 

of hearts. Dummy put the ace right on and led the 
trump for an ace jack ten finesse, which went to B, 
who false-carded the king and led another heart. Y 
won this trick with the king and then led ace and 
another trump instead of trying to put dummy in for 
another finesse, and it was fortunate that he did. 

B won the last round with the queen, but was afraid 
to lead another heart while dummy had the ace of 
clubs to get in with, as it would establish the eight of 
hearts for a trick in Z's hand, so he led a small dia- 
mond, hoping that A would come up to the club with 
a supporting queen or jack. 

A did not see through the scheme, but read B out 
of hearts and holding five diamonds to the king queen 
jack, which he had underplayed because A had bid a 
diamond at the start. So A went back with the ten 
of diamonds, and B was in the lead again. Had A led 
the club he would have set Y's two royals for 100 
points and saved the game and rubber, an<l^ would 
have prided himself on a clever double. 

As it was B went on with the diamonds and Y got 
in a ruff, led a third round of hearts, establishing 
dummy's eight, and when A won the trick with the 
queen of hearts and led the club it was too late. Y put 
on the queen, B the king and Z the ace and Y dis- 
carded his remaining club on the heart trick, trump- 
ing the next two. 

When the line was drawn under the two tricks at 
double value and 68 in honors and the 250 added for 
the rubber it was found that Y's side was just 401 
points ahead on the balance. 



126 ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 

*'If you had only come through with a club." re- 
marked B, 'Sve should have had a total of 239 points 
to their 210 and still as good a chance as they for the 
rubber/' 

All of which is perfectly true, yet they say there 
is nothing in the play of the cards; it is all in the 
bid. 



XIV 
SPECULATIVE BIDS 

Any person taking up the new count at royal auc- 
tion should be especially careful not to overcall an- 
other player on a purely speculative hand, as that error 
is more expensive in royals than it ever was in auction. 
The fact that the suits are cheaper and can be shown 
for smaller bids, added to the fact that any of them 
can go game, leads many a beginner into making decla- 
rations under the new count that he would never have 
dreamed of under the old. 

This refers of course to the free bids, and not to the 
forced declarations of the dealer. In auction every- 
thing was headed for the no-trumper, simply because 
half the pack was good for 'nothing else. In royals, 
every suit has a chance to go game from zero and there 
is consequently much less speculative bidding. The 
player who persists in taking chances on finding his 
partner with a phenomenal hand will find it a losing 
game. 

The dealer is forced to bid something, and his bids 
are guided by the doctrine of probabilities as applied to 
two possible situations : Those in which the odds are 
in favor of the success of the contract he assumes^ and 
those in which the chances are that his losses will be 
small, even if inevitable. 

He never expects to do it all himself, but at the same 
time he should not reckon on unreasonable help from 

127 



128 ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 

his partner. He bases his hopes for assistance to suc- 
cess and his hope of escape from serious loss on pre- 
cisely the same thing ; two probable tricks in the part- 
ner's hand. 

Experience has shown that these two tricks are the 
average of the assistance to be looked for in any hand 
which has not declared itself and which has not been 
declared against, the latter being an important element. 
When the dealer has a fairly strong hand, he bases his 
hopes for success on finding this average of two tricks 
in the dummy. He is not playing to save himself but 
to win points and would make the declaration in any 
position at the table. Upon some occasions with a per- 
fectly justifiable call he will be badly set back, but in 
the long run the law of averages will bring him out 
ahead if his bids are sound. 

But if the dealer has a hand with only two tricks in 
it, such as four to the ace king in some suit and noth- 
ing better than a jack outside^ the two probable tricks 
in his partner's hand hold out no hope of getting the 
seven that he is forced to bid on the combined hands. 
The chances are all against him, and in any other posi- 
tion he would instantly pass ; but as dealer he must de- 
clare something, so he shows the suit in which he has 
the fewest losing cards, that is, the sure tricks, no 
matter what the final declaration may be. 

If the adversaries' hands are strong enough to hold 
out any hope of their going game, they will overcall 
him. If they are not so strong, they are foolish to take 
the dealer out of a losing speculation, as the chances 
are better for penalties on every hand on which they 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 1 29 

know he cannot go game and their own going game is 
problematical. When neither side can go game on any 
declaration, it is the side that is playing for fifty a 
trick that has the advantage. Until players learn that 
simple lesson they will never succeed at royals. 

Now consider the manner in which these adversaries 
of the dealer estimate their chances when they make a 
free bid. The second player has just as much right to 
look forward to finding two tricks in his partner's 
hand as the dealer had to look for them in the hand 
of his partner when he made his forced bid. 

If the second hand has the cards that hold out a 
reasonable prospect of winning five tricks he should 
avail himself of the free bid and declare at once, re- 
gardless of the dealer's bid, as he cannot lose very 
heavily and his partner may have the cards to put them 
game on the combined hands. Five tricks in one hand 
and two probable in the other is a pretty strong com- 
bination. 

But if the second player has not more than two or 
three tricks in his hand he is throwing away his own 
money and robbing his partner at the same time if he 
makes a free bid on such cards, because he is volun- 
tarily assuming a contract which has all the odds 
against it. He would be quite justified in declaring 
upon such cards if he were the dealer, because a bid 
of some kind is forced from him, but the bids of the 
second hand are free and should always be carefully 
considered. 

Simple as this proposition would appear, average 
players seem blind to its importance, and the only ex- 




I30 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



planation of the fact that they do not lose every time 
they play is that the bidding of their opponents, when 
opposed to the dealer, is equally bad and the two part- 
nerships are often found engaged in a game resembling 
giveaway at checkers, in which each side vies with the 
other in generosity. 

Much of the fault lies in the attractiveness of the 
new count. On first acquaintance it seems to offer so 
many opportunities for bidding that one is apt to over- 
indulge in the luxury of declaring and to bid on hands 
simply because the new count makes it cheaper than it 
was at the old game. These players forget that the 
risk of being left with the declaration is still there and 
that they cannot make a bid at any price without as- 
suming a contract. 

Take this case : 











^ lO 8 


4 


2 














* J lO 


8 


5 














K 8 


5 


2 








7 






# 


6 




^ J 


6 




^ K 




Y 




5 


4k K 


Q 


9 


3 


2 


A 


B 


♦ 6 


4< 




J 










A A 


JL^ 


A 


6 


4- 


♦ A 


Q 


8 


3 


2 


Z 




♦ J 


7 


5 




^ 


A Q 


9 












♦ A 7 


















Q lO 


9 


7 














♦ 


K lO 


9 


4- 







Regardless of the old or new count Z's hand is a no- 
trumper, but the cards held by the second player, A, 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE I3I 

are fairly illustrative of the kind of hands that lead the 
beginner into temptation. 

Under the old count any player would pass at once 
for two reasons. In the first place it would be absurd 
to bid three clubs against a no-trumper and six in 
spades is out of the question. In the second place, 
there is no use in making such a bid, even if it would 
not only secure the contract^ but would carry it 
through successfully, because under the old count a 
black suit cannot go game even if the declarer makes 
a grand slam. If B has the cards to make nine tricks 
in clubs there is not much to fear from Z's no-trumper. 

But under the new count instead of two reasons for 
refraining from the bid there are two temptations to 
make it. First, it is cheaper, two tricks in clubs or in 
royals being enough to overcall the no trump. Second, 
it is possible to go game with either suit. Given such 
a hand as A's many persons would overcall the dealer 
with two clubs as a starter, or if they were ambitious 
they might say two royals, although it is always ad- 
visable to begin with the cheaper suit when you have 
two. 

Let us look at A's cards for a minute and see what 
foundation there is for such a bid as two clubs or two 
royals. He has in his hand two sure tricks and three 
or four probable. The average expectation from his 
partner is two, making a total of four sure, five or six 
probable^ yet he cheerfully undertakes to win eight. 

As the preponderance of strength is declared with Z^ 
prudence would suggest that B's average be discounted 
a little. If Z's hand is so much above average that 



132 ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 

he can declare no trumps without the ace, the two 
kings, and two queens that are in A's hand, it is highly 
improbable that B has his usual average of two sure 
tricks. Taking this into account, A would be lucky 
to win five tricks out of his contract to make eight, if 
he should offer so ill considered a bid as two clubs, or 
two royals. 

If we examine the result of either declaration we 
shall have no difficulty in arriving at the consequences 
if Y and Z are good players and not addicted to the 
same reckless generosity in the bidding. On the club 
declaration Y would double to show his partner that he 
could stop that suit in a no-trumper. If A shifted to 
royals Z would double that. 

In neither case would Z go back to his no-trumper, 
which was only a forced bid. He knows that the clubs 
would probably be cleared in two rounds for A and 
the spades lie over him. The game to play for now is 
penalties, as Z can see that if Y can double clubs A and 
B must have everything else in the pack to get eight 
tricks against the Y and Z hands. 

On the club contract A would have to play very well 
to make six tricks, losing 200 points and simple honors 
on his free bid. If he shifted to the royals he would 
have just as much trouble to get six tricks that way, 
losing the same amount in penalties but saving the 
honor score. 

The play on the spade contract, which would be the 
winning declaration when A's clubs were doubled and 
he shifted, would be for Y to lead the trump, as he 
has every suit stopped himself, and his partner must be 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 1 33 

full of winning cards that need protection from A's 
trumps. Dummy would cover with the jack and the 
ace would catch the king. Another round of trumps 
from A would leave two good in Z's hand. 

Now if A starts the clubs Z wins the king with the 
ace and after picking up two of A's trumps would lead 
a small diamond to his partner's discards^ upon which 
the jack, king and ace would fall, leaving B in. The 
best play for A would be to try to make his king of 
hearts by leading the suit from dummy, and after that 
all A could make w^ould be a trump and a club. 

There is nothing unusual about the hands that do 
not enter the bidding. They lie just as probability 
says they should. Z's preponderance of strength marks 
B as holding probably only one trick instead of the 
usual tw^o, which is just what he has. A makes the 
maximum of possibilities on his cards, five tricks, 
owing to the strong hand being on his right, so that he 
saves his king of hearts and makes his spade tenace. 

Against the declared no-trumper it should have been 
clear to. A that it was practically impossible for him to 
go game in either of the black suits, even if B had 
an exceptional hand. Against the theory of averages, 
giving B two tricks at the most, more probably only 
one, A's declaration to win eight tricks is simple reck- 
lessness, justly punished by the loss of 200 points in 
penalties. 

As has been remarked, the dealer's first bid is forced, 
but any subsequent bid he makes is free, and any ill 
considered calls on the second round are costly experi- 
ments. After he has been taken out of his forced bid 



134 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



by an adversary he practically exchanges places with 
that adversary^ the free bid falling to him under pre- 
cisely the same conditions that it fell to his opponent 
when he was forced to make a bid at the start. 

With the freed bid at his disposal, it becomes the 
dealer's duty to count up the possibilities of his cards 
just as if he were the second player, basing his cal- 
culations on the assumption that his partner has not 
more than two tricks, unless that partner has declared 
himself. Even these two should be discounted a trifle 
if the adversary's declaration seems to show that the 
strength is not equally distributed. 

As an illustration of ill considered bidding on the 
part of a dealer on the second round, take this hand : 









^ 


J 


9 


7 


3 












« lO 


8 


6 


2 












K 


8 


4. 










Q 


6 


^ 


K 


8 




^ lO 


4' 




^ K 


2 




Y 






A 9 


7 


5 




A 




B 


* A 


J 


3 


A 


lO 


7 


3 


AA 




9 


5 




♦ 4. 


2 








Z 




♦ A 


J 


lO 7 




^ 


A 


8 


5 










4 K 


Q 


4- 














Q 


J 


6 


2 












♦ 


Q 


9 


5 









6 3 



Z has a legitimate no-trumper for his opening bid, 
his hand being queen-jack above average. Under the 
old count no one would be able to overcall this with a 
suit, but the majority of players would double on B's 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 135 

cards so as to get a spade led, because unless both king 
and queen are with Z, B gets the suit in shape in one 
round and has re-entries. 

The beginner should observe that A holds cards on 
which he would declare a heart if he were the dealer 
and a bid was forced from him, but no good player 
would think of making such a declaration with a free 
bid, especially after the dealer has declared no trumps. 

Under the new count to double a no-trumper will 
not secure a spade lead, as it is assumed that if the 
fourth hand is strong enough in spades to double he 
can aflford to declare that suit for two tricks in royals. 
Under the old count it was taken for granted that a 
player should be willing to call three clubs over a no- 
trumper, if he were so anxious to have that suit led. 
But under the new count a double by the fourth hand 
calls for no particular suit to be led. 

Tw^o royals on B's hand is a good call, as he ought 
to make eight tricks if his partner has an average hand, 
and the bid is practically a forced one, as he must get 
a spade led if he vv^ants to be sure that Z does not go 
game at no trump. 

Here is an illustration of the usual situation re- 
versed: B is the player who is forced to make a bid 
and Z is the player who has a free bid at his disposal. 
A hasty player would probably glance at his cards 
again and seeing the stopper in spades would declare 
two no trumps, which would be an injudicious bid 
under the circumstances, because the spade suit will be 
led and cleared at once^ B having named that suit. 
How many tricks are there in Z's hand after that? 



136 ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 

Three or four is a liberal estimate. Add the two from 
his partner and there is a total of six as a basis for an 
ill considered bid of eight. 

Make a sensible allowance for the extra strength in 
B's hand to justify his bid of two royals and we should 
reduce Y's tricks to one probable, bringing the value 
of the Y and Z combination down to five tricks at the 
most, four being more likely as the limit. If this were 
the first round of bids, instead of the second and B 
dealt and called two royals would any good player 
overcall him. with two no trumps if he held Z's hand? 

Play the hand on B's declaration and he will just 
get through. Play it as a no-trumper on Z's declara- 
tion and he will just make it, as B does not get the 
spade lead at the start. But if Z rashly goes two no 
trumps after B has shown the spade suit A would 
double and Z would lose 400 points. 

So far as the present understanding of the principles 
of the game goes it would seem that the guiding prin- 
ciple for free bids in royals should be this : Never 
count on your partner for more than two tricks unless 
he has declared himself to be stronger than usual. By 
adding these two to your own tricks and making due 
allowance for the doubtful ones vou should arrive at a 
just estimate of the bidding value of your hand. 

Another important point is this : If the other play- 
ers cannot go game on their own declaration except by 
a miracle always let them alone unless you can go game 
yourself. Remember that it is about 100 to i that a 
suit call cannot go game with a legitimate no-trumper 
on its left, therefore it is about 100 to i that you cannot 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 1 37 

go game if you have the suit against the no- 
trumper. 

If you will remember these two simple propositions 
you will probably be astonished at the small number 
of hands on which you will be set for penalties when 
you get the contract on a free bid. Just watch that 
distinction next time you play and count up how many 
hands are penalized on free bids compared to those 
that fail on forced bids. 



XV 
TRYING FOR GAME 

There is one point in the bidding at royal auction 
which would demand not only good judgment of your 
own hand but also careful consideration of the other 
bids and their possibilities. That is in overcalling a 
player who has overcalled you, whether he is your 
partner or your adversary. 

Two important factors enter into the bidding under 
such circumstances. The first is the extent of the 
danger from the other bid, always calculated from the 
basis of the possibility of its going game. The second 
is the probability of your being able to go game your- 
self after you have discovered what is out against you. 
Neither of these things being probable, not to say pos- 
sible, the player who lets matters stand and refuses to 
go further is the one who is playing for 50 points a 
trick, while his opponent is playing for anything from 
6 to 10 points. 

One of the factors in the bidding that require care- 
ful consideration when you are overcalled is the assist- 
ing bids from the partners, as well as the actual over- 
call itself. If your own partner refuses to assist you 
he has not more than two probable tricks, if he has so 
many. If the adversary's partner assists him your 
partner probably has nothing. 

The next important factor is the shifts. If your part- 
ner shifts after you have been overcalled it should be a 

138 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



139 



sure sign that he can neither assist your original decla- 
ration nor stop the adversary's. If the adversary's 
partner shifts, on the contrary, it usually shows that 
your partner holds over the first declarer or has the 
suit which neither of them declares and in which you 
are weak. 

Any person who will watch an ordinary rubber at 
royals will not have much trouble in picking out a 
number of examples of bad judgment in following up 
a declaration after it has been overcalled, and this bad 
judgment will usually be shown in trying to win a 
game that cannot be won^ instead of trying to defeat 
a contract that could not go game. The most interest- 
ing cases are usually those in which the partner shifts. 
Take this hand : 









^ Q 
















4k K 


Q 6 5 












K 


Q 10 6 5 








7 


5 


# 


9 


8 5 




9 




^ K 






Y 


<;? J 10 


8 6 


« 10 


9 


4- 


3 


A 


B 


« A J 


2 




J 


8 


7 


4 


AA 


2 






♦ 6 


3 








Z 


♦ A 10 


7 


2 




^ 


A 


4- 3 


2 










« 8 


7 












A 


9 3 












^ 


K 


Q J 


4- 







Z dealt and bid no trump, the score being love all. 
A and Y passed, B calling two hearts with the double 
object of showing his partner what to lead and of 
pushing Z up a bit. Z passed, confident that B could 



140 ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 

never go game in hearts, but doubtful if he could go 
game himself. 

Y declared three diamonds, which B promptly 
passed. This gives Z a pretty problem in inference. 

Y did not overcall the no-trumper on the first round ; 
therefore he has not a bust. He can have nothing in 
hearts or he would support the no-trumper now in- 
stead of shifting. Z's cards make it look as if he had 
nothing in spades either^ so that in order to justify 
his shift he should have a long and strong diamond 
suit and something good in clubs. On this reasoning, 
having the hearts stopped himself^ Z went back to his 
no-trumper, bidding three tricks. 

This looks like bad judgment, because Z pays too 
much attention to his partner and does not make suffi- 
cient allowance for the strength in B's hand, which is 
opposed to the original no trump call, while Y's bid 
had a declared no-trumper to assist it from the start. 

Z should have reasoned that hearts would be led at 
once, and as Y has intimated that he has nothing in that 
suit the adversaries will clear it up on the first rounds. 
Then unless Y holds six diamonds, all good, and the 
ace of clubs or spades, the four or five hearts in B's 
hand and that much wanted black ace will score 
against Z and set his contract. 

When his partner shifted Z should have taken the 
hint and left it at three diamonds, which he would just 
have made by taking the finesse in trumps after win- 
ning the first heart trick with the ace. But on his no 
trump contract, after passing two rounds of hearts, Z 
dare not take the diamond finesse with the established 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



141 



hearts and two aces against him, so he tried to drop 
the jack. That failing, he held on to his tenace in dia- 
monds and led the spade. B put on the ace, made his 
two hearts and the ace of clubs and set the contract for 
100 points. 

Here is a case in which the adversary's partner gives 
the original declarer the cue: 











^ 


9 


8 


6 
















Jh 5 


2 


















J 


8 


5 


4 2 








• • • • 


• • • • 




♦ 10 


8 


6 


9? A 


10 




^ ... 






y 




4 


* A 


K 


10 


9 6 


3 


A 




B 


* 7 


4- 




9 


7 


6 






^ ^m 




JL^ 


A 


10 


2 


♦ A 


K 


4- 


3 






z 




♦ Q 
7 5 


9 
2 


7 




^ 


K 


Q 


J 












* Q 


J 


8 
















K 


Q 


















♦ 


J 


5 











Z dealt and bid a heart, A two clubs, Y and B pass- 
ing. Z went two hearts^ there being as yet no sign 
from either of the partners ; A and Y both passed, but 
now B bid three clubs. In spite of this Z went on to 
three hearts, although it should have been evident to 
him at this stage of the bidding that B had more than 
his average of two probable tricks and that therefore 
Y could not have anything. 

If Y has nothing it is not only impossible for Z to 
go game in hearts, but it is highly improbable that he 



142 ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 

can come anywhere near his contract, especially with- 
out an ace in his hand. 

In spite of his partner's assistance A did not imagine 
that he could go game in clubs, so he passed, but B 
doubled three hearts and on the play they set the con- 
tract for 300 points. 

A led two rounds of clubs and on his partner's 
down and out echo forced him. B overtrumped dummy 
and as he inferred A must have something in diamonds 
or spades to support his clubs he led the ace and an- 
other trump, so as to exhaust dummy, and all the tricks 
that Z made were five trumps and a diamond. 

Had A bid four clubs, as the cards lie he would have 
gone game by getting a diamond discard on the first 
trick, catching the jack of trumps on the next trick 
and the queen on the fourth by putting dummy in again 
with a diamond so as to get a finesse against Z. This 
would give A a small slam. Even without the finesse 
in trumps he can get five by cards, which is game in 
clubs under the new count. 

Here is a good example of two nearly equal hands 
bidding against each other, with the result that the first 
to drop out when he finds game for either side impos- 
sible is the winner. 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



143 





^ J 


4 


3 


»-^^^^ ^ ^^^^>^M> ^^ ^ ^ ^ ^^^ ^ 




«Q 


6 


5 4 






8 


6 








♦ Q 


6 


5 - 


4- 




^ K 10 9 7 


2 




Y 




9? Q 


5 


A A K 3 

K 9 2 




A 




B 


A J 
OQ 


10 8 7 2 
7 4. 3 


♦ J 9 






Z 




A A 


8 




^ 


A 


8 


6 








A 9 










A 


J 


10 5 






♦ 


K 


10 


7 ; 


3 2 





Z dealt and bid a royal ; which he thought better and 
safer than no trumps. Although he has no sure tricks 
in the spade suit, he has the tricks outside to justify 
the call. A bid two hearts, Y and B both passing. With 
the hearts stopped and his ability to ruff clubs on the 
second round, Z bid two royals and A went three 
hearts. 

This would seeni to show bad judgment on A's part, 
because if Z has the side cards to justify him in bidding 
two royals after a suit is declared against him and 
after his partner has refused to assist him when he was 
first overcalled, A can never hope to go game in hearts, 
and he may not even make good on his contract. Z 
took this view of his hand as compared to A's and 
dropped the royal, because he saw no chance for game 
and was not in the least afraid of A's going game 
either. 

On the play, Y led the top spade, B putting on the 
ace and leading the queen of trumps. Z won the trick 



144 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



and led his singleton club, as he could kill dummy's re- 
entry in diamonds. A tried to drop the jack of trumps 
and^ failing in this, took two for one, leaving Y in. 

Two more rounds of spades and A had to ruff. He 
then played a Deschapelles coup by leading the king 
of diamonds, so as to make the queen good to bring in 
the clubs after the queen was out of the way. Z held 
off the diamond and the contract failed for two tricks. 

Z correctly estimated the strength of his own hand 
as against A's. He could have made his contract if he 
had bid three royals, but he could not have gone 
game. 

Here is an illustration of bad judgment in estimating 
the value of an original bid, which is always forced : 









^ lO 9 
















A A K 


7 


5 3 












K lO 


7 














♦ 


A lO 


5 


V K 


Q 




9? 4- 2 




y 




J 


*Q lO 


9 


6 


4 


A 


B 


4k 3 






9 8 


5 


4 




A * 


1^ 


J 


6 


3 


4|k 8 2 








Z 




♦ K 

6 5 


Q 


J 




^ 


A 8 


7 










4k 


J 8 








. 



6 4. 



A Q 2 

♦ 973 



Z bid a heart. Although he has only one trick in the 
suit itself, he has a trick or two in an outside suit to 
make up for it : A passed and Y went no trumps, count- 
ing on his partner for two heart tricks. B, hoping to 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE I45 

drive Z back to the hearts as much as anything, bid 
two royals^ which Z passed. 

Y, with spades safely stopped, and still banking on 
his partner's hearts, went on to two no trumps, figur- 
ing to make at least four of his clubs, two tricks in 
his partner's hand and two outside tricks in his own. 

This is only another instance of the oversight that 
one continually sees at the card table. When Z refuses 
to assist the no-trumper, he shows that he cannot stop 
the spades, so the first lead will probably clear up that 
suit against Y's declaration^ and the declarer himself 
has nothing cleared up that he can go on with when he 
gets in, unless his partner turns out to have wonderful 
cards in hearts. 

Winning the game under such circumstances being 
problematical, Y's proper course was to let B try to 
make good on his two royals, as it is clearly impos- 
sible for B to go game in that suit if Z has what Y 
credits him with, and Y could use his strength to tnuch 
better advantage by playing for 50 a trick than for 10. 

Y could have set the contract in royals for 50 points. 
On his own attempt to win two by cards at no trumps 
he failed by one trick, losing 50 points instead of win- 
ning them, but he had forty aces to console himself 
with. 

There are some persons, of course, who object to the 
whole theory upon which such safe bidding is founded 
and who cannot see why it is not well worth while to 
score from 12 to 20 points toward game, even at the 
risk of giving the other side 50. They will -bid just as 
eagerly for the chance to make two by cards at hearts 



146 ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



or diamonds as they would to win the rubber, even 
when they know or should know from the bidding that 
it is practically impossible for them to make a trick 
more than their contract. 

The examination of a large number of score cards 
picked up at clubs in which the average play is a hun- 
dred rubbers a day shows that only about once in 
eleven times is it of the slightest use for the declarer 
to be anything up on the score of an unfinished game 
and that in each of the other cases the game would 
have been won from zero. 

If the game can be won, it is supposed to be worth 
an equity of about 125 points in the rubber, and as 
long as there is any chance of winning it a player is 
fully justified in taking some risk of falling short of his 
contract in the attempt to go game. This situation 
often arises in a no-trumper when the declarer takes a 
chance on a certain card being in his partner's hand. 
If it is there he goes game ; if it is not, he loses perhaps 
a trick or two. 

But when the bidding shows that it is manifestly im- 
possible for the declaration to win the game^ and an- 
other player is bidding for the privilege of scoring 18 
or 20 points at the most, at the risk of losing 50 or 100, 
why not let him try it ? 



XVI 
DECLARING ON LENGTH 

If one were asked to name the most common fault in 
bidding at the new county the first thing that would 
occur to the observant player would probably be the 
tendency to declare on length in the first round of the 
bids, regardless of the fact that the suit is not headed 
by winning cards. 

While this fault is most frequently found on the 
dealer's side of the table, there are many persons who 
carry it to the second hand, although the excuse for it 
is based on a different theory. Both are wrong, be- 
cause both overlook the primary object of the original 
bids, which is to give information to a partner, who 
may have something better in his hand, or who may be 
able to support the call. The error is in imagining that 
the object of the bids is to settle upon the winning 
declaration as soon as possible. 

The dealer's excuse usuallv is that a suit of six 
trumps is good for four tricks, regardless of their value 
as high cards, which is above the average value of a 
hand, and the suit should therefore be declared. In 
bridge, to which they are probably more accustomed, 
this is true, because the suit picked out by the dealer is 
the trump. In auction it is not true^ because the suit 
named is not the trump, but is simply the suit men- 
tioned as the longest among the dealer's thirteen cards. 

The second player's excuse usually is that if he does 

147 



148 ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 

not make some declaration while he has the chance to 
do so cheaply, it may be too expensive on the second 
round and that if he does not show his partner what 
he has, that partner will not know what to do after 
the third hand has declared. 

The reply to both these excuses is that if the bids 
are made for the purpose of giving information it is 
highly important that the information should not be 
misleading, because if it means one thing at "one time 
and something else at another time it is worse than 
useless, because it cannot be reHed on as the foundation 
for sound bidding. 

There are two ways in which the partner may be 
misled. He may let the bid stand, thinking it will suit 
the combined hands as well as anything else he could 
do, or he may shift to something he thinks better, rely- 
ing upon the suit named in the original declaration to 
help him out. In either case he will find that he is 
trying to drive with a putter. 

Another source of danger lies in the opportunity 
given to the adversaries to sit still and defeat the con- 
tract, instead of undertaking a more or less risky one 
of their own, especially when they are behind on the 
total score and more anxious to get back some penal- 
ties than to win the game. 

The most common sources of loss can be traced to 
the dealer's original declarations, which seem to be 
prompted by the idea that as he must say something, 
he might as wxU bid his hand a little beyond its value 
as a little below it, and take a chance that his partner 
can pull it ofif. There seems to be a rooted prejudice 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



149 



among certain players against calling a spade with a 
six-card suit in the hand. 

Here is a case in which it is the partner that is mis- 
led into a too forward declaration. 







^ 


K 


Q 5 


4- 












Jk 4. 










\ 




A 


K J 9 6 










3 


^ Q 10 9 




J 


9 




^ 10 6 


2 




Y 


9 A 


8 


* K 10 


2 




A 


B 


* A 


Q 


9 




10 5 


3 


2 


A A 


m^ 


OQ 








♦ J 2 








z 


♦ A 


K 


8 


4- 3 




^ 


7 






. 






A J 


8 7 6 5 


3 










8 


7 4- 












♦ 


7 


6 5 











Z dealt and declared a club on his six-card suit, 
which the authorities are pretty well agreed should be 
good for four tricks on the average. Such a declara- 
tion would be perfectly correct if the game were bridge 
and the suit worth 6 a trick, because it would be a 
certainty that the clubs would remain the t^ump suit. 

A passed, and Y, figuring that his partner had at 
least two tricks in his hand, and sure winners in clubs, 
went no trumps. B^ who was about to go no trumps 
himself, but did not feel equal to two royals against 
the declaration, passed, and Z had to overcall the no- 
trumper to show that he had nothing but a bust in 
clubs. 

This is the wrong end for such a call. When the 
original bid is no trumps it is right for the third hand 



150 ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 

to overcall it with a bust if he has a long trump suit, 
because the no~trumper was declared on its own merits. 
But when the no-trumper is declared on the strength of 
a suit shown, as in this case, the partner should not 
overcall with a two-trick bid unless he was willing to 
bid two tricks on his original hand if pushed to it by 
an adversary^ which is far from true of Z's cards. 

A led the spade jack, the queen covered and B won 
with the king, returning the singleton diamond. Y won 
this and led the trump, upon which B put the ace, so 
as to be sure of stopping the lead. The spade ace ex- 
hausted A and another round let him make a trump. 

A returned the diamond, which B trumped with the 
nine. Another spade from B forced Z to ruff in with 
the club to protect himself, as dummy had no trumps 
left. Another diamond from A let B make his queen 
of trumps and get the lead. B made his ace of hearts 
at once^ as he could then count Z's hand. This set the 
contract for three tricks. 

Here is a hand which shows how a partner may be 
led to believe that the original call suits him as well 
as anything he could do. 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



151 







^ Q 7 


6 






- 






A A 6 














K 10 


8 5 












^ 


K 10 


3 










^ A J 4 




Y 




^ K 




* K 10 9 


8 


4* 


A 


B 


4kQ 


J 


7 


2 


7 6 4 






VAA 


AJ 


A 


Q 


J 


3 


♦ 6 4 






z 




♦ A 


Q 
2 


8 


7 




^ 


10 9 


8 


5 3 








A 5 3 

9 2 














♦ 


J 9 


5 


2 









Z dealt and declared a heart, the suit being, accord- 
ing to the bridge idea, good for four tricks. Accord- 
ing to the auction idea it is good for nothing and the 
declaration should have been a spade. A did not care 
to go as high as two clubs, so he passed. Y thought 
the make would suit him, so he passed also, and B was 
content. 

On the play, A led the club^ Y putting on the ace 
and returning the suit at once, ready to ruff it in either 
hand. A won the trick and led his short suit through 
the spade king, B coming right back with it and letting 
A ruff the third round. Then A went through the dia- 
monds in the same way. 

B led another spade and A put on the ace of trumps, 
leading another diamond, which B won, returning the 
ace of diamonds. Z ruffed this trick with the eight, A 
going over it with the jack, after which B's king of 
trumps still made, setting the contract for three tricks. 

Sometimes these weak bids give an adversary, who 



152 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



would have declared the suit himself, an opportunity 
to double instead. Here is a case of that kind: 











^ 


lO 


9 


















* A 


8 


6 
















J 


lO 


6 


2 














♦ 


8 


7 


6 


3 

C? A 


K 




^ 2 






Y 




8 


* K 


Q 


5 


4- 


3 


A 




B 


♦ J 


lO 


2 


A 


Q 


8 


5 


3 


Xa 




K 


7 




♦ A 


5 










Z 




♦ K 

5 3 


lO 


4- 




C? 


Q 


J 


6 












A 9 


7 


















9 


4- 


















♦ 


Q 


J 


9 


2 







7 4 



Z dealt and bid a heart, which A and Y passed. B 
would have bid a heart himself had Z started with a 
spade^ as he should have done, but against the declara- 
tion B doubled and neither Z nor his partner could do 
anything to pull themselves out. «. 

Having every suit stopped, A led the trump, and B 
took out two rounds at once, A discarding the eight of 
diamonds as a reverse discard, which brought the king 
of diamonds from B, the seven following, and letting 
A win with the queen. 

Here came a rather pretty play. In order to make 
dummy lead a diamond while A still held the ace. A' 
led the king of clubs, putting dummy in. Then, when 
Y led the diamond, Z had to trump it or let the ace 
make. B discarded a spade and Z led the spade queen. 
This gave A the chance to get right in and lead his ace 
of diamonds, B discarding a club. After Z got this 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



153 



trick with the trump all he could make was his queen 
of trumps, so his contract was set for 300 points. 

The second hand is often seen to fall into this same 
error of bidding on length w^ithout the winning cards 
when he should pass and wait for the second round. 
He forgets that the suit he names is not the trump and 
will never be the trump unless it suits three other 
players besides himself. Here is a case which is typical 
of these second hand bids on length only. 







9? 


K 


9 


6 








A A 


9 


6 5 4 






A 


5 


2 






^ 


6 


4' 






^ 10 






Y 




<5> A 8 7 


A K 2 






A 




B 


* Q J 10 3 


Q 10 9 7 


6 


4 


*i, 




K 3 


4|b J 9 8 2 








Z 




♦ K Q 10 3 




^ 


Q 


J 


5 


4. 3 2 






^ 8 


7 











J 


8 







♦ A 7 5 

Z dealt and bid a spade, refusing to call a heart on 
the first round with a hand which was not strong 
enough to go tw^o hearts on and which had not the win- 
ning hearts at the head. A, in spite of this principle, 
or in ignorance of it, declared a diamond, which Y 
passed. When it got round to B, he figured that if his 
partner had a sure trick or two in diamonds, the com- 
bination was good enough for a no-trumper, which he 
bid. As A had not exactly a bust, having possible 
stoppers in three suits, he let it go at no trumps. 



154 ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 

Z led the four of hearts and B, who missed the two 
smaller ones^ passed two rounds, so as to exhaust Y. 
Then he started to clear the diamonds, that being a 
longer suit than the clubs and A having re-entries in 
the spades. 

Y won the diamond trick and led a spade, as the best 
chance to get Z in with the established hearts, and in 
his discards on the hearts, Y echoed in clubs, so that 
he made his ace at the end, setting the contract for two 
tricks. 

In this hand, if we give A the two tricks that he 
should have held to justify his declaration^ one of them 
being a sure trick in the suit called, say ace and ten 
instead of queen and ten, the no-trumper is easily good 
for the odd trick before B loses the lead. 

There are many occasions in which the adversaries 
are more anxious to win a few penalties than to go 
game even, because they are behind on the total score. 
Good players always make allowance for such condi- 
tions in their estimate of the value of the bids and take 
into consideration the likelihood of a pass from a 
strong hand when that side is behind in the score. 

While those who play for penalties in this way may 
not always make as much as they expected, it should 
be remembered that even if they make only a trick, it 
is worth more than anything they could make on their 
own declaration, short of the game. Here is an in- 
stance of an effort to win back something. 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



15s 









^ A 


Q 


9 








* Q 


7 


5 3 








A 


J 


6 2 




J 


5 3 


♦ 


A 


Q 


J 


9 


^ K 


2 




Y 




^76 


* A 


J 






A 




B 


* K 9 6 5 3 


K 


7 


4- 




AX 




8 


♦ 8 


7 


3 






Z 




♦ K 10 6 5 2 




^ 


10 


8 


4- 










* 10 


8 


4- 2 








Q 


10 


9 5 3 








# 


4. 









Z dealt and bid a spade. A, who was anxious to 
get the full benefit of being ahead in the score and to 
win a big rubber at once, declared a heart. Y has^a 
very good no-trumper and the heart suit stopped twice, 
but he is 200 behind on the total and has no game in, 
so he thinks it better to try for some penalties while 
he has the chance, as he knows A and B cannot go 
game on anything, so he doubles. B was afraid of 
going into deeper water if he called two clubs or a 
royal, and being a game in, he concluded to let matters 
stand. 

Y led the ace of spades and followed it with the 
queen, Z trumping B's king. Z then led the ten of 
diamonds, so as to cover dummy's card, the eight. The 
moment his ten held the trick he led the trump and 
Y won the first round with the queen over the jack 
and returned the nine, so as to force the king but still 
leave himself with the best trumps to prevent A from 
drawing all the trumps and still holding the lead. 



156 ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 

A started to clear the clubs, winning the second 
round with the king in B's hand and ruffing the next. 
When he led a spade, Y won it, picked up one of A's 
trumps with his ace and then forced the last trump 
with the club, making his ace and jack of diamonds at 
the end and setting the contract for 200 points, even- 
ing up the score. 



XVII 
BIDS INFLUENCE BIDS 

One frequently hears a discussion of the play of cer- 
tain hands in which the score is not stated and the mo- 
tive is therefore left uncertain. In the same way one 
may often hear an argument about the propriety of a 
certain bid or bids at auction, without any allusion to 
the other bids, which must, or should have had, a large 
influence on the bid under discussion. 

It is very difficult to lay down any rules for the bids 
beyond those of the dealer and his partner on the first 
round, with an occasional remark about the second 
player. After that everything depends on what has 
been declared by others, because that is what will show 
whether any particular bid is a judicious one or not. 

The difference between a partner's support and his 
shift is enough to change the whole aspect of a declara- 
tion, and the interference of an adversary may affect a 
bid in two ways : it may show that he is afraid of it, or 
it may indicate that he can afford to ignore it and pro- 
ceed with his own game. 

In many cases we may see one player trying to man- 
age things for the best interest of the two hands, when 
his partner steps in and spoils it all, although with the 
best intentions in the world. In such situations there is 
always the opportunity for the display of skill and 
finesse in the bidding, such as no rules can cover, 

157 



158 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



everything in the bids being dependent on the bids that 
have gone before. Take this case : 

^4-3 

* A Q 4- 2 

Q 10 9 8 7 3 

♦ 5 



^ J 

A J 

A J 

# A K 



9 6 



5 
Q 



4 
8 









Y 




2 




A 


Z 


B 




^ 


A 


ID 


5 




A K 


8 


7 







• 




• • 



^ K Q 

A lO 9 
K 
^ J 

6 3 



8 
5 



7 2 



6 

7 



♦ ID 9 6 4- 3 

Z dealt and bid a spade, which A doubled, showing 
two stoppers in the suit. Y pulled his partner out with 
a diamond and A saw that things were in excellent 
shape for him to win some penalties, as he has told his 
partner his good suit is spades and if that suit is led at 
once, they can probably force Y often enough to break 
up his hand. 

But B does not know anything about A's plans^ and 
declares a heart, on the strength of his partner's stop- 
pers in spades and the position of his own king of dia- 
monds over Y. Z passed, as he cannot support his 
partner and is afraid to shift, in the face of the suit 
declarations on each side. 

B's bid induced A to try to drive Y back to the dia- 
monds, so he went no trumps, hoping Y would bid two 
diamonds, but Y refused to be coaxed, his partner not 
having shown any signs of life, and B also passed. 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 1 59 



When it got round to Z, that player knew that A 
must have the diamonds safely stopped, and he had al- 
ready shown that he could stop the spades. B, on the 
other hand, had declared hearts^ which looked to Z as if 
these were the three suits on which the no-trumper 
was built. If this inference was correct, the only chance 
left for Y and Z was the clubs, and Z bid two tricks in 
that suit, which A promptly passed, showing that he 
had no stoppers there and had to abandon his no- 
trumper. 

B went two hearts, showing he could do nothing to 
stop the clubs either^ and Z passed. When it got round 
to Y, he supported his partner with three clubs and 
that was the winning declaration, doubled by A, who 
did not see how it w^as possible for Y and Z to make 
nine tricks against A's cards with B's hearts to help 
him. 

Here we have an example of three players for whose 
bids no rule could be laid down, each bidding on two 
different suits and one of them making three different 
declarations. Z bid a spade first and then a club. A 
doubled a spade first and then shifted to no trumps and 
finally doubled a club. Y bid a diamond first and then 
shifted to the club suit. 

Not one of these bids except the first one by Y is 
based on the player's own cards, but all of them rest 
on the information and influence of the bids made by 
the others. The dealer's original call is nothing but a 
pass, as he does not want spades for trumps at two a 
trick. 

On the play, A led the spade to have a look, before 



l6o ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 

starting his partner's heart suit. On the next trick he 
led the heart and Z got in. After that, A and B were 
helpless until the contract was safe, as Y and Z never 
let go of the cross rufif. 

Upon winning the heart trick with the ace, Z led a 
spade and dummy trumped it, returning the small dia- 
mond, which Z trumped. Another spade from Z and 
dummy got another ruff, after which he led another 
diamond for Z to trumps and on the fourth round of 
spades the queen of trumps shut out B, who discarded 
a heart. On the next diamond lead from dummy, B 
put in the nine of trumps, although he knew his part- 
ner had the ace of the suit led^ and Z over-trumped 
and led the spade. 

The next diamond from dummy, B won with the ten 
of trumps, Z discarding a heart. Then B led a small 
trump which A won, returning a heart and Z made the 
eight of trumps at the end, giving him three by cards 
and his contract. 

As a rule, the fourth player is in the best position at 
the table to declare, because he gets a line on the sit- 
uation from the bids of the preceding players. Nothing 
will show more clearly how much at sea this fourth 
player can be than to have a hand come along in which 
no one has anything to say until it comes round to him. 
Here is a case of this kind: 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



l6l 











^ K 


J 9 7 












A 8 


4- 












Q 


9 7 




• 


^10 6 


5 


4. 


^ 


A 


J lO 


7 






2 




Y 


^ A 3 






♦ J 6 








A 


B 


4k A K 


9 7 5 2 




lO 5 








A A 


m^ 


A 6 






♦ K 8 


6 


5 






z 


4 4- 


3 




^ 


Q 


8 














♦ Q lO 3 












K 


J 8 4" 3 2 






• 






♦ 


9 


12 







Z dealt and bid a spade, as he was not one of those 
who bid on length alone. A passed, and Y did not see 
his way to declare anything with the prospect of a 
weak dummy, so he passed. 

Now B finds himself in about the same position as 
if he had dealt the cards^ and he can declare either clubs 
or no trumps. As his partner's passing a spade call 
does not necessarily mean weakness, and may be noth- 
ing but a waiting move, whereas the declarations of Y 
and Z are clearly from, weakness, B concluded to call 
the no-trumper instead of the club. 

Y having refused to take Z out of the spade call, Z 
refused to risk a diamond contract for two tricks and 
passed. A did not see any reason to shift and Y was 
glad to be out of it, so B got the declaration, and, as is 
often the case when bids are made in the dark in this 
way, he got set for fifty points. 

Z opened his long diamond suit, and B tried to drop 
the queen of clubs in two leads. Failing in this, there 



1 62 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



was nothing for it but to go on, and hope the diamonds 
were not all in one hand. Y dropped the seven of 
spades as a reverse discard^ wishing his partner tp 
know what to do when the diamonds ran out. This 
kept B from discarding the spade queen^ and forced 
him to let go a club, but the spade ace set the contract. 
Here is a hand in which the bidding, although sim- 
ple, is based entirely on the inferences from preceding 
bids. 







^ A 


Q lO 


6 5 








A ... 










K 


J 9 7 








# 


K 


9 6 


4- 




^ ... 






Y 


^98 


7 


4 A 


Q 9 5 4 


3 


A 


B 


* K lO 


7 


8 


6 5 4-3 


2 


AA 





• • • 


♦ 8 








Z 


♦ Q J 


7 




^ 


K 


J 2 










A J 


8 2 








A 


Q lO 








# 


A 


lO 3 


2 





4. 3 



Z dealt and bid no trumps. A, with his two-suiter, 
bid the cheaper suit firsts calling two clubs. Y declared 
two hearts, B and Z both passing, so that it came round 
to A again. 

A's first inference is that neither Y nor Z can stop 
the club suit or they would go on with the no-trumper, 
therefore of the three missing honors, king jack ten, B 
must have the king, unless it is blank in the hand of Y 
or Z. 

On the strength of this inference and his ability to 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 163 

ruff hearts, A bid three clubs, and on the strength of 
his abihty to ruff those clubs with his partner's no- 
trumper to back him up, Y bid three hearts, B and Z 
passing again. Z's passing, it may be observed, being 
based on the inference that the ace king and queen of 
clubs are all against his no-trumper. 

It is now clear to A that B has not a trick in his hand 
except in clubs, because Z must have bid his no-trumper 
on three suits originally and two of these suits are red. 
If Y can run hearts up to three tricks, they must have 
that suit solid between them and Z has the diamonds 
and spades. 

If this is the situation, A can see that Y and Z will 
easily go game in hearts if they are left with the make, 
and that if A shifts to the diamonds, they will double 
him and beat him, so he sticks to the clubs, bidding 
four tricks, fully expecting to take a loss of 50 or 100 
points. Now Y passes, as he has not heard a word 
from his partner since the original dealer's bid. 

Z knows that his partner must have something pretty 
good outside the heart suit itself to justify him in 
going so far as three tricks. He also knows that Y 
cannot have anything in clubs, or he would have sup- 
ported the no-trumper. But Z is afraid of B, who 
must have all the clubs that A does not hold and may 
be strong in one of the other suits, such as all the dia- 
monds against Y's spades. 

This is a point that the beginner often forgets, when 
relying on the partner for support to his bid, such as 
Y's support for his hearts, that this may not be in two 
suits but in one, and that some silent adversary may 



164 ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 

have the other suit. Z is not afraid of B's hearts, as 
Y and Z must have all the winning cards between them, 
so he bids four hearts, requiring A to call a little slam 
in clubs, which he refuses to do, as he might lose 300 
or 400 points on such a contract. 

The play gives us a good example of the wisdom of 
playing for a long suit instead of for a ruff when you 
have four or five trumps, however small. B led the 
club king and forced Y, who saw that if he drew all 
the trumps he could make five by cards at once. When 
A fell out, discarding a diamond, Y saw that the long 
trump in B's hand would bring in the whole club 
suit, so he stopped, and led the ace of diamonds from 
dummy. 

Now if B ruff's this trick and leads the trump, to get 
two for one, he will sacrifice his advantage, as Y can 
pull all his trumps and make all his diamonds, so he 
continues the force with the club, which Y refuses to 
take, as it is clear that he cannot go game that way. 
He must wait until dummy can ruff the club, so Y dis- 
cards a losing spade. 

Here is a little inference lesson for the beginner in 
A's play. He sees that B must have as many trumps as 
Y, or Y would have drawn them all the moment he got 
in, and as Y wants to get the majority of trumps by 
forcing B again, it is A's game to prevent this and to 
avoid forcing B with a diamond until all the clubs have 
been made, because if A makes the mistake of forcing 
his partner again, Y and Z go game. A third round 
of clubs and then a force not only saves the game but 
sets the contract for 50 points. 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



165 



The manner in which a player supports or refuses to 
support his partner is often a means of inference which 
will completely change the character of the bids. Take 
this case: 









^ 


J 9 


8 


6 4. 


3 










* 6 














10 7 


6 












♦ 


9 5 


4. 




K 




^ 2 




y 




^ A 


Q 5 


4 K J 


10 7 


5 


4. 


A 


B 


♦ 9 


3 




J 8 


3 2 








A^ 


Q 


9 




4^ 10 3 








Z 




♦ K 


Q 


J 8 




^ 


10 7 














* A Q 


8 2 












OAK 


5 4- 












♦ 


A 6 


2 









Z dealt and bid no trump. A passed, not feeling 
equal to two clubs against a no-trumper^ and Y bid two 
hearts, to show that unless hearts were trumps his hand 
was a bust, which would be of no assistance to a no- 
trumper. 

Some players would double with B's cards, but he 
looked deeper into the situation and the inferences pos- 
sible from the bids. If Z has declared on three suits, 
the missing suit in his hand was the heart. Then he 
must have the ace of spades, and as. good as an ace in 
both clubs and diamonds. The thing for B to find out 
is which of these two he is weaker in, and with a view 
to that end B bids two royals^ which Z passes, on the 
theory that while he cannot go game in no trumps with 
a bust on the table, nor in clubs with the spades 



1 66 ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 

cleared the first lead, neither can B go game hi 
royals. 

A fully expected Y to return to the heart suit, as Z 
did not go on with the no-trumper, so he bid three 
clubs, to show B what to lead, but Y passed. Here we 
have a case of each player in turn refusing to support 
his partner, and both abandoning his own declaration 
on the second round. This shows B that Z holds the 
spade ace and the club ace, and that his extra strength 
is in diamonds, but that he has not enough of them to 
declare that suit. A must be very weak in spades or 
he would support B instead of switching. 

What most persons would have done on the strength 
of these inferences is a question, but B went two no 
trumps, in spite of Z's original declaration, and what 
is more he made it, and won the game on the hand into 
the bargain. 

Z led the heart ten^ which B won with the ace, lead- 
ing the club nine. Z passed it, and so did dummy. An- 
other club, and Z passed again, as he knew that cleaned 
up B, and he held tenace over A. But A came back 
with a small diamond and B finessed the nine, as the 
game hinged on the position of the ten. Z won with 
the king and led another heart, which B won with the 
king^ leading the queen of diamonds and putting Z in 
again. 

When Z tried to get a club lead by returning the dia- 
mond, giving A two tricks, A avoided the trap by lead- 
ing a spade after B had discarded his small heart and 
then Z saw that unless he made his ace of clubs at once 
he would take it home with him, as a spade lead would 
give B every trick. 



XVIII 

ASSIST OR DOUBLE? 

The more one sees of the bidding tactics at royals 
the more clearly one realizes the great difference be- 
tween the declarations of the expert and those the be- 
ginner would make on the same cards. In looking for 
the reason underlying this difference one is inevitably 
led to the conclusion that it is due, more than anything 
else, to the expert's ability to infer correctly the cards 
upon which the bids of the other players at the table 
are based. 

If we take as an example the difference between the 
double and the assist, we shall find^ on watching the 
play in any ordinary rubber, that the novice is always 
more anxious to assist, to trv to secure the contract 
and go for the game, than he is to double and defeat 
his adversaries. The expert, on the other hand, not 
only seems more keenly alive to the possibilities of gain 
from penalties^ but looks upon the double as a useful 
method of conveying information, which will often sup- 
plement that given by his original bid on his own 
cards. 

Here is a hand that recentlv came under the writer's 
notice which illustrates this point in the management 
of the double, when it takes the place of the assist, and 
also shows that it needs a keen player to benefit from it. 



167 



1 68 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



^95 

* A 9 7 4 
6 

♦ A K Q J 3 2 



9? Q J 


6 


2 


Y 




* J lO 

8 4 


8 




A 


B 


♦ 98 


7 


5 


Z 





^73 
* K Q 3 
0AKJ1O7 52 

^ lO 



^ A K lO 8 4. 

4k 6 5 2 

Q 9 3 

♦ 6 4- 



Z dealt and bid a heart, which A passed. Y did not 
think the hearts could be as good as his spades, so he 
•shifted to a royal and B declared two diamonds. 

With his two sure tricks in hearts and a probable 
stopper in diamonds, nine players out of ten would 
have supported their partner with two royals^ as Z may 
legitimately consider his hand as good for three tricks, 
which is one more than his average support would be. 

But Z does not look at it that way. He leaves the 
matter of going on to two tricks in royals to his part- 
ner, who alone knows whether the cards are worth it 
or not, and simply doubles the two diamonds, which is 
something the novice would probably never dream of, 
as Z has only three to the queen, yet it is a perfectly 
safe call. 

A passed^ and Y, who was not as keen a player as 
his partner, Z, unthinkingly went two royals, and when 
B overcalled with three diamonds, Y went on to three 
royals, which was the winning declaration. 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 169 

B led the king of diamonds and then stopped, for 
fear of making the queen good for a trick. He then 
led the king of clubs, which Y won. Y took out four 
rounds of trumps and led a heart, dummy playing the 
king and returning the ace, upon which B fell out, hav- 
ing discarded a heart and two diamonds on the trumps. 

As the cards lay, Y could not get another trick, no 
matter what he played from Z's hand, as he could 
neither establish the hearts nor make the queen of dia- 
monds, so he had to stop at three by cards, or three 
points short of the game. 

This was entirely his own fault, because his partner's 
double of the two-diamond call gave him the key to the 
situation as clearly as if the cards had been laid on the 
table. 

Z's original declaration showed two tricks in hearts, 
or one sure in hearts and one outside. The moment Z 
doubled the diamond bid, the outside trick is marked 
in that suit. But the double shows something else. It 
shows that he is inviting his partner to shift to no 
trumps if his spades are good enough, or to go on to 
two royals if the spades are not quite up to no-trump 
standard. 

Y should have been able to count up the full value 
of the two hands to a certainty as good for six tricks 
in spades, one in clubs, one in diamonds and one in 
hearts. That is nine tricks and the game at no trumps, 
without the possibility of loss. He can count all day and 
not make another trick out of it if spades are trumps, 
therefore he is just as sure not to go game in royals 
as he is to go game in no trumps. 



170 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



Had Y bid the two no trumps, as he should have 
done after his partner's double, and been overcalled 
with three diamonds by B, he would still have been 
bidding on a certainty to go three no trumps, which 
would have forced B to go five in diamonds or quit. 
This of course means that Z is a good player, whose 
bidding can be absolutely relied on. 

Play the hand as a no-trumper and it would be B's 
lead. He would naturally start with his long suit, and 
with his clubs to get in with he would go right on and 
clear it. But so far as winning the game goes, 
whether B clears up a diamond trick for Z or not, 
makes no difiference to Y, as he does not need the dia- 
mond trick when he finds that Z has two sure tricks in 
hearts. These, with the black suits, are enough. 

Here is another hand in which a player has an op- 
portunity to infer very closely the distribution of the 
cards or at least the suits, from the fact that his part- 
ner assist3 him instead of doubling the adversary. 











^ 


Q 4- 


2 












* J 9 












Q J 


10 8 5 4. 




6 


3 




♦ 10 3 






^ 7 




Y 




^ K 10 9 


« K 


Q 


7 5 


4 


3 


A 


B 


A 8 2 


A 


3 


. 






A ^ 


A^ 


7 2 


♦ Q 


7 








z 




♦ :a K J 




^ 


A J 


8 


5 










* A 10 


6 










K 9 


6 










♦ 


8 5 


4. 





9 6 2 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE I7I 

Z dealt and bid a spade, A said a club and Y bid a 
diamond, upon which B switched to a royal, instead of 
assisting his partner. 

Z supported Y by declaring two diamonds and A 
dropped his own suit to bid two royals, upon which Y 
blithely called three diamonds^ which B refused to over- 
call with three royals^ as he did not see any chance for 
game in his hand. When it got round to A, he doubled 
the three diamonds and every one passed. 

The hand was rather peculiarly played, with a num- 
ber of shifts. B stopped after two rounds of spades, but 
finally concluded to lead a third, which Y won, lead- 
ing the jack of clubs and taking the finesse. A got this 
trick with the king, falsecarding, but on looking at the 
trick and missing the deuce^ he concluded that his part- 
ner had no more or was echoing with that card alone 
left in his hand, so he led the queen and succeeded in 
knocking the ace and nine together, but left the ten 
good against him. 

Y led the small heart from dummy, so as to make 
the queen if the king were with A, but B won the 
trick and led the trump, as Y had avoided that suit. 
When A came back with a club, Y's trump shut out 
B's, and after Y had picked up the small trumps from 
A and B he led a heart and took the finesse, but fell 
just a trick short on his contract, A making the ace of 
trumps and a club, B making two spades and a heart. 

This was Y's fault, his inattention to his partner's 
assist and its exact meaning leading him just a trick be- 
yond his depth. There was no necessity to overcall, as A 
and B had no chance to go game on their declaration. 



172 ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 

As soon as Z assists Y's call, it shows that he has 
more than an average hand^ that is, he is probably good 
for more than two tricks. He cannot have a sure trick 
in spades or he would have doubled, as we see Z did 
in the previous hand. His tricks cannot be both in 
one suit, or he would have declared it at the start, as 
the dealer is always wn'lling to declare a suit in which 
he has two sure tricks if he has a third probable out- 
side, no matter how short the two-trick suit may be. 
Then Z's three assisting tricks must be in hearts, clubs, 
and diamonds. 

Now^ if Z cannot hold two sure tricks in the same 
suit, he cannot have both ace and king of diamonds, so 
one trick in that suit is surely against Y, leaving him 
only five trump tricks to count on. He has nothing 
in the other suits himself, therefore his partner's two 
tricks, one in hearts and one in clubs, are all that is 
left. 

Count these up and the total is seven possible tricks ; 
yet Y bids to make nine. 

A very common mistake made by the novice lies in 
calculating on a stopped suit as if it were a fighting 
unit when there is no certainty that the suit will ever be 
led and he cannot lead it more than once or twice him- 
self. Stoppers are not trick winners unless the suit is 
played out until the stoppers become the best of the 
suit^ and the adversaries are not going to do that for 
the declarer if they can help it. 

Here is a hand which illustrates the fallacy of using 
a stopped suit as a basis for the bidding. 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



173 









^ A 


K 


10 7 












Jk A 


8 


4- 












A 


K 


J 6 5 3 








9 8 


4. 


♦ 


• • • 


• • • • 




• • 


3 




^ Q 






Y 




9? 6 5 


• 


♦ ... 




• • • 




A 




B 


* K Q 


J 


10 5 3 


Q 


10 7 


4 


2 








9 






♦ A 


6 3 


2 






Z 




4|b K 8 


7 






^ 


J 


2 














« 9 


7 


6 2 












8 
















♦ 


Q 


J 


10 


9 5 4< 







Z dealt and bid two royals at the start, intending to 
show that his hand was good for nothing unless that 
suit was the trump. A bid of one royal should always 
show at least one sure trick at the head of the spade 
suit. 

When A passed, Y, who held everything but the 
spades and who credited Z with the power to stop that 
suit for him, declared two no trumps so as to overcall 
the two royals. This every one passed. 

B led his long suit and A discarded a small spade, 
showing that he was not beginning any reverse echo in 
that suit. Y led two rounds of diamonds, and then^ 
realizing that A had that suit bottled up, tried two 
rounds of hearts, on the long chance of dropping the 
queen, only to establish tenace against himself in that 
suit also. Not knowing what else to do, he led a dia- 
mond and A took the trick, made his two good queens 
and then led a small spade to his partner's echo of the 
eight of spades^ so that B got in and made all the clubs. 
A making the spade ace at the end. 



174 ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 

This set Y's no-trumper for three tricks, as all Y 
could get was two in each red suit and the ace of clubs, 
the stoppers in spades not being of the slightest use to 
him. 

Y did not pay close enough attention to the full 
meaning of the original call of two tricks, which 
usually is that the suit called has not the winning cards 
at the head of it which are necessary to help out a no- 
trumper and also that the rest of the hand is a bust. 

Looked at from this point, Y's bid is simply a gamble 
on dropping the queen of diamonds in two leads and 
making six straight tricks in that suit, because unless 
Y can accomplish this he cannot go game. It is quite 
true that the spade suit is stopped, but who is going 
to lead spades and establish the suit for Y's dummy? 
Had Y left it at two royals^ as his partner's opening bid 
advised, Z could have just made it. 

Sometimes the mistake is on the other side of the 
table and the dealer bids one trick in a suit when he 
should have said two, and then has not the nerve to 
bid three tricks to undeceive his partner on the next 
round of the bids. Here is a hand that shows where 
this mistake may land a player: 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



175 









^ A 


8 


4 








4k A 


K 


Q 8 6 4 3 








6 








J 10 3 


2 


4k 


8 


4 






^ K 






Y 




^ Q 7 


♦ J 

9 








A 




B 


♦ 7 5 

A K Q 8 


♦ A 


K Q 9 


7 


6 




Z 




♦ J 10 5 3 2 




^ 


9 


6 


5 










♦ 10 


9 


2 








J 


10 


7 5 4. 3 2 








^ 


• • • 


• • • • 




.. 



Z dealt and bid one diamond, when he should have 
said two, or passed by calling a spade. A bid a heart, 
on the theory that as either spades or hearts would go 
game the spades w^ere the better for trick winning and 
the hearts for trumps, each suit needing four by cards 
to win. 

Y credited his partner with a sure trick or two in 
diamonds and with his stopper in the adversaries' de- 
clared suit, hearts, he promptly went no trumps. B 
went two hearts, as he had more than the average two 
tricks in his hand for support, and Z was afraid to call 
three diamonds, so he passed. When A passed, Y 
went two no trumps to overcall B and all passed. 

It was very fortunate for B that he did not lead his 
partner's suit and let Y right in, but took a look with 
the king of diamonds first. The first round accounted 
for the whole diam^ond suit, so B went on with two 
more rounds, to make what he had while he was in, 
as he saw dummy would never be in to lead a diamond 
again. 



176 ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 

On the second and third rounds of diamonds, A dis- 
carded the deuce of hearts and the jack of clubs, which 
B took to mean that he did not think much of his own 
heart suit and had nothing more in clubs. If this is so, 

Y has about seven clubs and his re-entry card for the 
suit may be either a heart or a spade. 

As A had discarded a small heart, and as dummy had 
no spades at all, B took a chance on the spade lead, 
starting with the jack and following it with the ten, so 
that all six spades made, setting the contract for 200 
points without doubling, as all that Y made was the 
ace of hearts and three clubs. 

This is the fault of Z's original bid in calling a suit 
for one trick when he has not a winning card in it. 
Give Y a chance by making Z start with a spade and 

Y will call a club, which Z could have supported and 
on which they could have made four by cards and 
four honors, which is a gain of 48 points, instead of a 
loss of 200. 



XIX 
FOUR TRICK BIDS 

One often hears a three trick bid at royal auction 
spoken of as crossing the danger hne and some text- 
books warn the player never to go so high unless he is 
sure of his ground, as these are the contracts on which 
the big losses are made. 

Experience does not carry out this theory, and among 
good players fewer tricks are usually lost on three and 
four trick bids than on one or two trick bids, because 
the good player's calculations are closer when he is 
forced up to three or four tricks than when he is just 
bidding a trick or two on general principles. 

In watching the play at any first class club one can- 
not help noticing the number of times that the bidding 
goes as high as three tricks. It sometimes reaches five 
tricks, four being not at all uncommon. That these 
contracts frequently fail cannot be denied, but they 
fail for just what the declarer thought they would fail 
and he was prepared to lose that amount when he made 
the bid. This is not true of the ordinary one or two 
trick bids, which sometimes go down for astonishing 
amounts. 

'Tf I can aflford to take a chance on an original bid,'' 
remarked a crack player, ''why should I not take the 
same chance on the second or third round? I do not 
know how much I may be set for on any bid I make 
the first time around, and if I see a chance to keep the 

177 



178 ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 

game in by taking a similar risk on the following 
rounds why not try it?'' 

But there is one great difference between the two 
risks. On the first round, when bids are made on the 
player's own cards, there are two chances^ one to win 
and the other to lose. Bids made on probabilities go 
just as often largely in your favor as they do against 
you. A bid to make the odd only may be set back four 
or five tricks, but a bid of that kind is just as likely to 
win the game on the deal or make a little slam. 

Among good players this is not true of the later 
rounds of the bids, because the position is gradually 
narrowed down to one that can be measured as exactly 
as a city lot. There are countless hands in which there 
is no chance whatever, probability being eliminated and 
certainty taking its place. 

In such situations any bid to make more than two or 
three tricks must be based on one of two things, the 
certainty that it will go through or the willingness 
of the player to risk the loss of fifty or a hundred 
points, which seems inevitable. Sifted in among these 
is an occasional hand in which the element of luck in 
an unplaced suit may come in, which lends excitement 
and interest to the game. 

Sometimes the chances are combined in the hand of 
the player. His own bid may be in the balance, success 
or failure depending on the position of a certain card, 
so that he is speculating not only on what he can afford 
to pay for keeping the flag flying but on making good 
his bid if he has a bit of luck with it. Here is a case 
of this kind : 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



179 









^ Q J 


7 
















♦ 4" 


















10 9 


7 


4- 2 










6 


4. 


# 


• A K 


Q 


J 
^ 8 








^ K 




Y 






A K 


Q 


J 10 


9 3 


A 


B 


* 7 


6 


5 




A 


Q 


J 




K 


8 


6 


5 3 


♦ 9 








Z 




♦ 7 
5 3 


6 
2 


4< 


3 




Z 


> A 10 


9 










A A 8 


2 





















• • 














♦ 10 8 


5 


2 









Z dealt and bid a heart, having* a sure trick in that 
suit and a trick outside. A bid two clubs and Y, with 
his ability to ruff the clubs on the second round and his 
big spade suit^, supported his partner with two hearts. 

B and Z both passed and A went on to three clubs, 
to which Y promptly responded with three hearts, B 
and Z passing again. It is now time for A to stop and 
count up his chances before he bids any further. 

It is clear that the only thing Y can have to justify 
his repeated supporting bids is a big spade suit, because 
a good player does not assist on mere trump strength. 
Z had two tricks in his hand at the start, one at least 
in hearts, so the other must be in clubs or diamonds if 
Y has all the spades. 

Now if the king of diamonds is in Z's hand and can 
be caught, A can make five of his trumps^ three dia- 
monds and the king of hearts, even if his partner has 
not a trick in his hand. That is three by cards, which 
he has already bid. Nothing but a miracle could give 
him another trick, so there is no probability about it. 



l8o ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 

It is a certainty that if he bids four he cannot carry out 
the contract. 

But the point is that as he knows he cannot lose more 
than a trick or two if he does bid four, he can well 
afford to make a declaration for the sake of keeping the 
game in, because if Y and Z have all the hearts for 
trumps and all the spades they will go game in a walk. 
Therefore A bids four clubs. 

Y on the other hand is equally sure of his position. 
He figures to lose only one club trick and hopes his 
partner can get diamond discards on the high spades^ 
so he bids four hearts without any fear of loss. There 
is no speculation about his bid. His partner holds 
either both ace and king of hearts or he has a sure 
trick in diamonds or clubs. 

It would take six tricks in clubs to overcall this, 
which A refuses to offer, because if he were doubled 
he would lose 300 points to a certainty and might lose 
400 if he failed to catch the king of diamonds, which 
is more than the saving of a game is worth when it is 
not the rubber game. 

On the play A led the club and Z won the trick with 
the ace. The beginner would probably have put 
dummy in with a spade and taken a trump finesse at 
once, but Z knows better than that. He wins the club 
trick with the ace and returns the suit at once, letting 
dummy ruff it. Then he leads a diamond and trumps 
it himself^ so as to lead another club and clear his hand 
of losing cards. 

When dummy led the queen of trumps A refused to 
win it, having a vague idea that he might make both 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



l8l 



his trumps on a rufif, which he should have seen was 
impossible. Dummy did not lead the spade, but an- 
other diamond, which Z trumped, leading the ace and 
another trump to get the king out of the way. Then 
he rufifed the next diamond lead and made all the 
spades, scoring a little slam and four honors, a result 
that fully justified Y's assisting bids, as he won seven 
tricks out of the twelve. 

Here is a case in which two players ran the bids up 
to four tricks in order to save the game, neither of 
them having any prospect of fulfilling his contract, but 
both of them sure that the loss would be small. 







Z 


A 


3 












♦ 9 


5 










A 


J 


4- 




■ 


6 


♦ A 


K 


J lO 9 2 




^ K 10 9 8 


4- 




Y 




^ Q J 


5 


^ 2 






A 




B 


* A Q 


J 


Q 8 6 3 


2 




A ^ 




A^ 


7 5 




♦ 5 








Z 




♦ Q 7 


6 




^ 


7 


2 












A K 


lO 


8 7 6 3 








K 


lO 


9 








♦ 


8 


4 












dealt on the rubber game and bid a spade, which 
A passed, as he had not two sure tricks in his hand and 
preferred to hold his heart call for the second round 
after Z is pulled out of the spade. Y declared a royal, 
and B passed. 

Z now declared two clubs to show his partner that 
he could not support the royal and also to indicate that 



1 82 ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 

clubs was his long suit but was not headed by winning 
cards, as he did not declare it originally. A also comes 
out of his shell with two hearts, and Y goes back to the 
spades with two royals. 

B, with his stopper in spades, and at least two stop- 
pers in Z's suit, perhaps three if the lead comes right, 
and two honors in hearts^ supports his partner by call- 
ing three hearts, which both Z and A passed. 

It is now Y's time to count up his losers. These are 
first a heart, then at least one club, as his partner can- 
not have two winning cards in that suit, and probably 
two diamonds. He must drop the queen of trumps to 
make three by cards, but he is asked to bid three only 
to overcall B, which he gladly does. The most he can 
lose seems to be a trick. 

B, in his turn, figures on losing two or three spade 
tricks unless A can ruff the suit early ; at least one 
club, and one or two diamonds. If he goes four hearts 
he knows he cannot possibly make it, but he is willing 
to pay for keeping the flag flying, so he bids four 
hearts, which Y overcalls with four royals, although Y 
knows he cannot make it. At this point B dropped 
out, thinking it a better chance to stop Y from going 
game than to risk the loss of 300 or 400 points on his 
own contract. 

On the play B led the heart queen and Y won the 
trick. By putting dummy in with a diamond Y got a 
finesse in trumps, leading the eight of spades from Z's 
hand and passing it up. Another trump lead when B 
let the eight hold, and A discarded a club, B winning 
the trick with the spade queen. 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



183 



A won the next heart lead and forced Y with a third 
round. Then Y picked up both B's trumps and led 
the club through B, who allowed the king to make. At 
this point Y saw that he might make good on his con- 
tract if he took a diamond finesse and it went through, 
so he led the ten from dummy and made the jack and 
ace, losing a club trick at the end, but getting his con- 
tract and the game, thanks to his partner's king of dia- 
monds and to B's opening lead. 

B could have set the contract and held Y down to 
the three tricks that Y figured were all he could get, 
by leading the ace of clubs and then ruffing A with an- 
other club, after which B must make the queen of 
trumps and a heart. 

Here is a case in which there is no chance about the 
player's bid, when he goes up to four tricks, as he 
knows it is impossible to make it unless the bids are 
entirely misleading as to the situation confronting him : 











^ 


K 10 


5 


3 












* Q 10 


5 












J 9 


8 7 






7 


6 


4" 


♦ 


9 7 








^ J 


2 


Y 




^ A Q 


9 


4k 6 


3 








A 


B 


A K & 


7 


A 


Q 


5 


3 




K 10 


6 


♦ A 


K 








Z 




♦ Q 8 


2 




^ 




> . . . • 


, , 












* A J . 


9 4-2 












4« 2 














♦ 


J 10 


6 


5 4. 3 





8 



184 ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 

Z dealt on the rubber game and bid a spade, the suit 
being too weak in high cards to justify a royal and 
there being only one trick in the clubs. A doubled to 
show two stoppers in the spade suit and Y passed, being 
unable to pull his partner out and glad to have a 
chance to keep the game in for the price of 100 
points. B bid no trumps. 

Now Z turns loose with his two royals and A^ in 
order to complete the picture that he is trying to give 
his partner of his hand, declares three diamonds, know- 
ing that he will not be left with it if his partner really 
has a no-trumper. Y passed again and B bid three no 
trumps. 

So far the declarations against Z show him that there 
are two spade tricks in A's hand and at least two win- 
ning diamonds against him in the A and B hands com- 
bined, because B must have had a sure trick in dia- 
monds when he made his first no trump call. Y hav- 
ing passed twice cannot have more than two possible 
tricks in his whole hand, so that B stands to lose two 
spades, two diamonds and at least one club, leaving the 
total value of his hand at eight tricks. 

In spite of this he cheerfully bids four royals, be- 
cause even if he is doubled it is worth 200 points to 
save the rubber. B, who is bidding on the certainty 
of two spade tricks in A's hand, which must be ace 
king or ace jack ten and the ace and queen of dia- 
monds or ace and jack, shown by A's double and his 
bid following it, counts his hand as good for three by 
cards certain and for four or better if the hearts lie 
right. 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 185 

^•••••••••• — — »•» — — — — — — » — — — • — — • — —• — »»—• — — — — — — -.••■ «»««**««»«. W«4BS»V 

When B bids four no trumps Z is still willing to lose 
300 to save the rubber and calls five royals, but B goes 
on to five no trumps in preference to trying for penal- 
ties, taking his chance on the lucky lie of the heart suit, 
which has not been shown at all. 

On the play Z led the fourth best club, which B won 
with the king. B then put A in with a spade and led 
the seven of hearts, forcing Y to protect himself by 
covering with the ten. Another spade put A in again to 
lead the jack of hearts, which caught Y's king whether 
he put it on the jack or held off for a round or two. 
This established a heart in A's hand. 

All this time Z is shedding everything but the ace 
jack and small in clubs, hoping for that suit to come 
again from Y. When B led the queen of spades Y had 
to discard and he kept a club. When B led a small dia- 
mond he put the ace on from dummy and led the estab- 
lished thirteener in hearts, on which Y let go a dia- 
mond. 

This enabled B to count his hand, as he must still 
have one club higher than the fourth best led originally 
by Z, which leaves him with only two diamonds. This 
inference makes it easv for B to return a small dia- 
mond, win it with the king and overtake the ten with 
the queen in dummy, so as to make a trick with the five 
at the end. 

The play gives B a grand slam on the hand through 
the very thing he gambled on, which was the lucky 
distribution of the heart suit. All that Y and Z could 
have saved was the ace of clubs and a diamond, which 



1 86 ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 

was not enough to keep in the rubber or set the con- 
tract. 

So far from these four trick bids entailing large 
risks, experience seems to show that they are less 
risky than smaller bids, as they are based on accurate 
information^ and among good players the loss facing 
such a bid is usually known in advance and accepted 
as worth while under the conditions. 

It is the blind bids of a trick or two which are slept 
on by crafty opponents that go down so heavily. After 
these opponents have come out into the open and de- 
clared the full strength of their hands by bidding on 
them for two or three rounds there are no traps to be 
blindly fallen into. 



PART II-THE PLAY 

XX 
VALUE OF A TRICK IN PLAY 

There are persons who will tell you that the bidding 
IS everything in auction and that the play of the cards 
does not amount to a hill of beans. One might as well 
say that the bid on the new subways was everything 
and that the carrying out of the contracts in the actual 
construction was of little or no importance. 

As pointed out by Badsworth, a single trick may 
make or break a contract and make a difference of 52 
points on the lowest possible declaration^ one spade. 
That trick might be worth 720 points if the declaration 
were three no trumps redoubled, on the rubber game, 
if it is conceded that the difference between losing the 
rubber and winning it is 500 points. 

One can understand the loss of tricks through such 
carelessness as forgetting that the seven is the best of 
a suit or through failure to lead to a guarded king in- 
stead of away from it, because such errors are ap- 
parent to the merest tyro. The subtler plays, such as 
establishing suits by a double finesse or making re- 
entries out of small cards, are matters requiring a little 
deeper insight to appreciate and are hardly expected 
from the average player, although they should never 

187 



1 88 ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 

be overlooked by one with any pretensions 'to the first 
class. 

But there are situations which even those who are 
considered as among the best players do not seem to 
grasp; certain position plays^ designed to pkk up a 
single trick, which are anticipated by inference and 
the lead arranged for a finesse which is still several 
tricks away. Those who have trained themselves by 
the solution of bridge problems are usually quick to 
see into these positions and profit by them provided 
they have the skill to read the cards and infer the dis- 
tribution. 

Almost any player realizes the advantage of finessing 
and knows that it is based on the principle of winning 
tricks with cards which are not the best held in the 
suit nor in sequence with them. The typical example 
is the ace queen in one hand and small cards in the 
other. Any player holding the ace and queen of a 
suit with the dummy on his left knows that he is sure 
of two tricks if dummy has not the king, provided he 
does not lead that suit himself. 

In the same way any ordinary player knows that if 
dummy has a suit headed by ace, queen, jack, and he 
leads a small card to it, the jack is the card to play, 
and that if it holds the trick the declarer should put 
himself in again so as to lead from the weak hand to 
the strong once more and finesse the queen, after which 
the ace ought to drop the king. 

But these are what we call ready-made tenaces be- 
cause they existed when the cards were dealt and there 
is nothing to do but to play them. It requires careful 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



189 



observation, which is another name for a good 
memory, to see that one must lead the trey to the queen 
and five in order to win two tricks over the ten and 
four, which are not yet played. These are the ten- 
aces that become established in the course of play, 
sometimes by accident, sometimes by bad discards. 

But there is still another and much more difficult 
tenace position, and that is one arranged by the player 
himself in anticipation of a distribution of the cards 
which he cannot see but simply infers from the drop. 
When one gets into the class that can work this part 
of the game he is not likely to let any tricks get away 
from him through those minor mistakes which are 
common to the beginner. Take this situation : 

9? A 6 5 

♦ K 5 4- 

K Q 10 5 3 

♦ A 5 



6 3 



^ K Q 10 9 8 3 


Y 




<^ 7 4. 


♦ 

J 9 8 4- 


A 


B 


* Q J 10 8 

6 


♦ K Q J 


Z 




♦ 10 8 4- 3 



^ J 

A A 
A 
♦ 9 



2 

9 7 2 

7 2 

7 6 2 



The score was love all on the rubber game, Z hav- 
ing dealt. Without entering into the details of bidding, 
it is sufficient to say that the winning declaration was 
three no trumps by Z, doubled by A and redoubled by 
Z. Y first bid no trumps and therefore played the 
hand. 



igO ROYx\L AUCTION BRIDGE 

On the play B led the seven of hearts and Y let A 
hold the trick with the eight. A returned the king to 
prevent the ace and jack from making separately and 
Y won the trick. 

If the hands of Y and Z are now counted up they 
will be seen to be apparently good for the contract, the 
game and the rubber: one heart trick, one spade, two 
clubs and five diamonds. Accordingly Y started right 
in to make his five diamond tricks, leading a small one 
to dummy's ace and playing the queen on the return, 
only to discover that A had the suit stopped and 
that the contract was bound to fail for two tricks^ or 
400 points, instead of winning three by cards re- 
doubled, 144 and 250 for the rubber. This is a differ- 
ence of 800. 

''Hard luck, partner,'' was the only comment made 
by Z. ''I think my redouble was justifiable because if 
the diamonds fall wq go game'' ; an explanation which 
was agreed to by both players and spectators. 

The mistake was in taking it for granted that three 
rounds of a five-card suit will clear it, and it is a mis- 
take that one sees every day. 

The success of the contract depends on making five 
trick in diamonds and on nothing else. If the dia- 
monds are divided Y must make three by cards. If 
they are all in one hand against him, no matter on 
which side of him^ he cannot make his contract no mat- 
ter how he plays, so that these two cases may be dis- 
missed from consideration, as one cannot be helped and 
the other needs no help. 

The only distribution over which the player has any 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE I9I 

control is when there are four to the jack in one hand 
and a singleton in the other, and that distribution 
should always be provided for. If the singleton is 
with A there is no way to get five diamond tricks, be- 
cause the jack, nine or eight will stop the suit. If the 
singleton is with B it is easy to get five tricks if Y 
plays correctly. 

The beginner will probably jump to the conclusion 
that the play should be to lead a small one from Y's 
hand and finesse the ten on the return. But that would 
be to give up the whole thing if there were only three 
to the jack in one hand. 

The correct play with this and all similar combina- 
tions is to discover, by making two leads^ whether or 
not the cards are divided three and two. This is ac- 
complished by leading the king first from Y's hand 
and following it with a small card, winning the trick 
with the ace. If both adversaries follow suit it is all 
clear sailing, but if A renounces it is all over. If it is 
B that renounces the position that will win all five 
tricks has been secured. 

The secret in all such situations is to know the 
chances for and against certain distributions and to 
play as if the favorable one were the one that you 
knew to exist, because unless it exists you cannot ac- 
complish anything. 

But there is another difficult point not grasped by 
players who are much above the average in other re- 
spects, and that is in placing certain cards in certain 
hands by inference and arranging a finesse that will 
not come off until later. Take this case : 



192 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 









^ Q J 


10 9 8 


7 








4k J 9 






. 






4 3 








3 




# 


A 7 


2 






9? 5 4. 




Y 




^ A 


K 


♦ Q 








A 


R 


A K 


3 2 


Q 9 


7 


6 


5 


jt^ 


JLJ 


A 


J 8 


♦ 8 5 


4. 


3 




Z 




♦ K 


Q J 9 6 




^ 


6 2 














4k A 10 


8 7 6 


5 4 








K 10 


2 










♦ 10 









The score was 18 all, rubber game. Z dealt. The 
winning declaration lay with B^ who was forced to 
two no trumps, which all passed. 

On the play B just made his contract, and this is how 
he did it. Z led his fourth best club, the seven, and 
dummy's queen held the trick, Y playing the nine. A 
led a spade and Y won the second round, Z discarding 
a heart. When Y came through with the jack of clubs 
both B and Z passed it up and Y led a diamond. 

This trick B won with the ace and made his four 
established spades. Then he made his ace and king of 
hearts and threw the rest of his cards on the table, 
surrendering the balance of the tricks, but taking the 
game and rubber. 

This hand illustrates another very common mis- 
take, which is the failure to give up cards which might 
prevent your partner from continuing a suit, a piece of 
tactics that is the foundation of many a first-class 
bridge problem. 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



193 



When Z led the seven of clubs Y should have known 
by the application of Foster's eleven rule that the de- 
clarer, B, had only one club higher than the seven in 
his hand. If it is the ace, Y's play does not matter and 
he may as well throw the nine as the jack. But if B's 
card is the king, Y blocks his partner's suit by keeping 
the jack, because Z cannot afford to win that card on 
the return unless B covers. 

Had Y given up the jack of clubs when dummy's 
queen won the first trick he would have had the nine 
to lead through, and when B refused to cover Z could 
have overtaken the nine with the ten and led his ace, 
making six club tricks, which with the ace of spades 
would have set the contract for 100 points instead of 
losing two by cards and the rubber. 

Many a rubber is lost by not getting just one more 
trick when the opportunity offers, the adversaries sav- 
ing the game and taking the rubber on the next deal 
or two. In such cases the result is often due to one 
misplay which costs just one trick. Take this hand: 









^ Q 


7 


4. 














4Q 


'7 


3 2 












A 


K 


2 








6 




♦ 


K 


10 


2 




10 




^ K 






Y 




^ A 


9 


A A 

7 


K 

4. 


J 9 
3 


5 4. 


A 




B 


« 10 

8 


6 
6 




♦ 8 


5 








Z 




♦ J 


7 


6 




^ 


J 


8 


2 












A 8 
















OQ 


J 


10 9 5 












♦ 


A 


Q 


9 


4- 







5 3 



194 ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 

The score was love all on the rubber game and Y 
got the play at two no trumps. 

B led the ten of clubs and A put on the king. See- 
ing he would establish ^the queen in Y's hand if he 
went on, and not liking the heart situation he cau- 
tiously led a diamond^ hoping that after Z had made 
his diamonds he would have to lead away from his 
spade tenace or his hearts. Y and Z made the five dia- 
monds at once, leaving Z in the lead, A having dis- 
carded a spade and a club, B two hearts and a club. 

Now, if Y can make a heart trick, or can get four 
tricks in spades he wins the game^ and he concluded to 
try for the spades, leading a small one from Z's hand, 
playing the king and returning the ten, which he 
covered with the queen, only to find the jack guarded 
against him. 

If he leads the heart he may not make a trick in that 
suit, so he led the spade ace and another, putting B in, 
which let A and B make two heart tricks and the best 
club. This stopped Y and Z at two by cards, and al- 
though they fulfilled their contract they finally lost the 
rubber. 

The correct play on the spade suit, especially after 
the spade discard by A, was to arrange for a possible 
finesse on the third round by leading the ace first from 
* Z's hand, putting the ten on it, not the deuce. A small 
spade won by the king would then have disclosed the 
situation and have left the cards in the right position 
for leading through B and overtaking the deuce with 
the nine, catching both jack and seven and just going 
game. 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 195 

If the difference between losing and winning the 
rubber is 500 points this single misplay cost Y 510 
points. It would take a lot of bad bidding to lose any 
more on a hand, yet there are those who insist there is 
nothing in the play at auction. 



XXI 
UNBLOCKING LONG SUITS 

A well known teacher of bridge, on being asked 
what he considered the most important thing to im- 
press upon the beginner at auction after his system 
of bidding was settled upon, immediately answered 
that ''the high card from the short hand" would save 
more tricks than anything else in the game. 

The exact meaning of this phrase is that when a suit 
is distributed between two hands one of them is usually 
longer in the suit than the other^ such as five and three, 
or even six and two. If there are high cards in each 
hand the hand which is shorter in the suit should get 
rid of its high cards first, either by leading them or 
by playing them on lower cards led from the hand that 
is long in the suit, or by putting them up second hand 
if the suit is led through. 

One continually sees the beginner making such mis- 
takes as leading a king from a suit of five and playing 
small from dummy's ace, jack and another. A small 
card led from the long hand finds the queen second 
hand and kills it with the ace, but the jack blocks the 
suit, or the jack finesse holds and the ace drops the 
queen^ but blocks the suit. Had the jack and ace been 
got rid of first from the short hand and the king al- 
lowed to win the third round the suit would have been 
all cleared up and made. 

196 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE I97 

The foundation upon which this rule of playing the 
high card from the short hand is based is the necessity 
for unblocking suits in which there is a chance to win 
tricks with the small cards. Dr. Pole laid down the 
axiom many years ago that the aim of every player in 
all varieties of the whist family of games was to make 
tricks with the small cards, as the big ones would take 
care of themselves. It is very seldom that more than 
half the high cards in the pack, the aces, kings and 
queens, will take tricks, so often are they trumped or 
thrown away on deuces and treys of other suits. 

A number of exhaustive calculations and tabulations 
were gone into to discover the number of tricks that 
fell to the trumps on an average in the old game of 
whist, but no one seems to have taken the trouble to do 
the same thing for bridge or auction. It would seem 
only fair to assume that the number of tricks falling 
to the trump suit must be much larger in auction than 
in whist on account of the deliberate selection of a 
trump suit that is not only strong but long in one par- 
ticular hand instead of leaving such a matter to the 
chance of the turn-up at the end of the deal. 

But bridge and auction have introduced an element 
that was entirely absent from whist, the no-trumper, in 
which no tricks fall to the trumps and each suit is free 
to do its best. The calculations of Dr. Pole and others 
as to the possibilities of making tricks with the small 
cards are therefore entirely useless as a guide because 
those figures are all based on a game in which there 
were only a small number of tricks to be won in plain 
suits in each hand. The great thing in whist was not 



198 ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 

unblocking but getting out of the way of the trump 
suit. 

Unblocking is much more important in a no-trumper 
than in a trump declaration, but as the declarer can 
usually turn the end of a hand into a no-trumper by 
exhausting the adverse trumps unblocking may be use- 
ful to him in either make, but it is never so important 
or so frequently necessary as getting rid of losing 
cards or making losing trumps. 

With those opposed to the declaration unblocking 
is confined almost exclusively to the no-trumpers, as 
they seldom get any chance to bring in the small cards 
of a long suit against the declarer's trump strength. If 
they do, their success is not due to any unblocking 
tactics, but to having broken down the strong trump 
hand by repeated forcing. 

While the simple maxim "High card from the short 
hand" covers the whole situation the various compli- 
cations in the situations to which the rule should be 
applied require separate study and analysis. 

In order to apply the rule intelligently a player must 
first be thoroughly familiar with the conventional leads 
of high cards and should be able to apply Foster's 
eleven rule to all leads of the fourth-best. The lead 
of an ace, for instance, against a no trump declaration 
shows one of two things always and invariably, ace, 
queen^ jack or seven cards in the suit. In either case 
it is a request for the partner to give up the king if he 
holds it with only one small card. This is almost a 
command to play the high card from the hand that is 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 199 

short in the suit, so as to avoid blocking the hand that 
is long. 

The lead of a queen may have two meanings at no 
trump. It either denies any higher card in the suit and 
is a request for the third hand to get out of the way 
if he holds either ace or king or both, unless the king 
is in the dummy and can be caught. A player holding 
ace, king and deuce should put the king on his part- 
ner's queen, so as to comply with the rule and play the 
high card from the short hand. 

The queen is sometimes led from ace, queen, jack 
and others, less than seven in suit, when there is no re- 
entry in the hand. The object is to get the king out of 
the way at once. If the partner has it he should give 
it up unless he has two small with it. If the adversary 
has it it is forced and the partner of the leader is 
probably left with a card of the suit to return later, if 
he gets in. 

The old rule about returning the higher of only two 
cards and the lowest of three when you are unable to 
lead the best or one of the second and third best of 
your partner's suit is only another variation of this 
rule requiring the play of the high cards when short 
in the suit. 

The lead of one of the second and third best in 
order to force out the best and leave you in command 
of the suit is another variation of the same principle, 
but many players do not realize the importance of giv- 
ing up the best of a suit when it is their partner that 
leads one of the two equals. Most of the tricks that 



200 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



are lost in this position are when the suit has simmered 
down to the eights and nines. 

One of the most important applications of this un- 
blocking rule is known as the Foster echo, which was 
invented for the purpose of combining unblocking tac- 
tics with information that could be used by the leader. 
It not only gets out of the partner's way but tells him 
what is in his way. 

This echo consists in playing the second best of the 
suit your partner leads when you make no attempt to 
win the trick, no matter how many you hold or what 
they are. When the third hand can be depended on 
to follow this simple rule the original leader can fre- 
quently pick up a trick or two that would otherwise 
have escaped him, simply because he has a clearer 
view of the unblocking situation. Take this case : 









9? 


K 


















A A K 


8 


6 5 


3 












8 3 














J 


6 5 


♦ 


Q 9 


5 


4- 
^ Q 


7 


2 




^ A 


4' 


Y 






4 lO 


4- 






A 


B 


*Q 


J 


7 


2 


K 


7 


4 






A^ 


OQ 


9 


5 




^ J 


8 


6 




2 




♦ K 

3 


7 


2 






^ 


lO 9 


8 










A 9 


















A J 


lO 


6 2 














^ 


A lO 


3 











Z dealt and finally got the play on a bid of two no 
trumps. 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 20I 

A led his fourth best heart and dummy's king held 
the trick, B playing the seven, which is his second 
best. Z saw that it was useless to try for dummy's 
clubs as Y had no re-entry, and in order to go game 
he must make four tricks in diamonds by taking a suc- 
cessful ace jack ten finesse, so he led the diamond 
from Y's hand and A won the ten with the king. 

Nine players out of ten would probably have led the 
ace and another heart at once, but if A does this Z 
will make a trick in hearts, or B will block the suit 
with the queen. If B gives up the queen on the ace, 
the ten in Z's hand wins the game. 

A figured that as B's seven played to the first trick 
must be his second best B can have only one higher 
and that card must be one of four: queen, ten, nine 
or eight. Whichever it is, the remaining three are with 
Z. The evidence of the echo with the second best is 
absolutely unequivocal in all such cases. 

No matter which of these four cards it is that B 
holds Z has the suit stopped or B will block it if A 
plays the ace, so A leads the four. The queen wins, 
the deuce is returned and A B make four heart tricks, 
which just saves the game. 

Many good players echo with the queen in the third 
hand in order to show the partner to go on, the rule 
being to play the seven and then the deuce to show the 
queen. But this is useless as an unblocking play, as 
the echo does not show number and a player holding 
Q ID 7 2 would play the 7 on the first round and so 
would a player holding Q 7 alone. In the foregoing 
hand if B plays the seven and then the deuce A can- 



202 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



not read the situation and B has not unblocked. In the 
Foster echo the player who gives up his second best 
always keeps his smallest card to the last, which calls 
for the play of the queen on the second round, keeping 
the deuce. 

If B had not been a player who could be depended 
on for his second best regardless of number A would 
have led the ace and another heart upon getting in 
with the diamond, and B would have probably led a 
spade, w^hich would have gone to dummy's queen and 
won the game for Y and Z. Not only that, but as the 
second finesse in diamonds would have held B would 
have been brought down to unguarding his king of 
spades or his clubs on the long diamonds, which would 
give Y and Z four by cards. 

This play of the second best regardless of number or 
value sometimes comes into action long after the first 
trick, as it is not confined to the opening lead, but to 
any play on the partner's suits. Take this case : 









^ lO 


9 


6 


5 4 












A 9 


7 














9 


5 










7 




♦ 


A 


Q 


8 


2 


J 




^ 8 






Y 




^ Q 


3 


A K 


Q lO 8 6 


4 


3 


A 




B 


* A 






8 


7 3 2 






A Jli 




Aj 


A 


Q 


J lO 4 


♦ ... 










Z 




♦ K 


6 


5 3 




^ 


A 


K 


2 












A J 


5 


2 












K 


6 














♦ 


J 


lO 


9 


7 4- 







ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 203 

Z plays the hand as a two no trump, doubled by B. 

A started with the eight of clubs. B, unable to re- 
turn his partner's suit and with the king of spades 
now a certainty for a trick, started his own suit, play- 
ing ace and then queen of diamonds. 

Upon these diamonds A played the seven first, which 
was his second best, and then the trey, which was still 
his second best, keeping the smallest card. 

Z saw that unless the king of spades lay right for 
him he could not make his contract, but if the king was 
with A he could just get two by cards, so he led the 
jack, losing the trick to B's king, A discarding a heart. 
B rushed ofif his three winning diamonds, and then led 
a heart, setting the contract for 100 points, which is 
just what he calculated on when he doubled. 

Had B stopped to consider the cards played by his 
partner he could have set the contract for 700 instead 
of for 100. When B led the ace of diamonds and A 
played the seven that card showed a still better dia- 
mond in A's hand, as he dropped to the trey next time, 
for with trey and seven alone the trey would come first, 
as it would then be the second best. Now, the only 
diamond A could hold higher than the seven would be 
the eight, and when B got in with the king of spades 
he should have led the four of diamonds, which would 
have put A in and allowed him to make all his clubs, 
after which A would have returned the diamond and 
B would have made the last trick, scoring a little slam 
against a contract to make two by cards. 

The chief fault with the majority of players is the 
failure to look far enough ahead and to provide for 



204 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



every possible distribution of the cards, no matter how 
improbable^ because, as the French say, it is the im- 
probable that always happens. 

Another common fault is getting an idea into the 
head in playing the hand and overlooking something 
much more important, the oversight resulting in a 
blocked suit when it might easily have been avoided. 
Take this case: 

^ Q 6 

* J 9 8 7 5 3 












7 


5 


2 








lO 


9 8 


♦ 


7 


A' 








Z> K 


4 




Y 




Q? J 


7 5 


* 4 


2 






A 




B 


A K 


6 


9 


8 


6 




A* 




Aj 


OQ 


J lO 


♦ A 


Q 


9 






Z 




♦ J 


ID 8 




^ 


A 


3 


2 












♦ A 


Q 


lO 










A 


K 


4- 3 










# 


K 


6 


3 







5 2 



Z dealt and bid one no trump. A called two in 
hearts, Y and B passed and Z went two no trumps, 
which all passed. A led the eight of hearts and Y put 
on the queen second hand, which is always the cor- 
rect play when it is only once guarded and the ten is 
not with the ace in the fourth hand. B started the 
usual no trump echo with the seven of hearts, his 
second best. 

Z correctly picked the club suit as the longest be- 
tween the two hands and led a small one from Y's 
cards. B played the six. With the jack in the dummy 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 205 



Z saw that his ten was just as good as the queen and 
carelessly finessed it. When the ten held he led the 
ace and caught the king, but his own queen blocked 
dummy's suit. / 

ml 

Z made a trick with the queen, and then dummy hav- 
ing no re-entry he turned his attention to the diamonds^ 
hoping to clear them in two leads, as A had just dis- 
carded one. Failing in this, instead of going on and 
clearing the diamonds by getting the queen out of the 
way, he led the ace and small heart, so as to put A in 
and get his king of spades led up to, which he thought 
very clever, as the spade trick would just give him his 
contract. 

But B was a very shrewd player and saw through 
the scheme^ so he played the five of hearts on the ace, 
completing the echo begun on the first trick and show- 
ing some card higher than the seven still in his hand. 
A saw this must be the jack, so he passed up the 
heart in order to let B make his diamond trick. B 
made it, and then he led the spade, so that they set the 
contract for 50 points. 

The finesse of the club ten cost Z the game. In 
order to unblock the suit, whether he caught the king 
or not, he should have played the queen on the first 
round. If the finesse lost the suit is unblocked. If the 
king does not fall to the ace the ten gets it out of the 
way and unblocks the suit at the same time. 

Let the cards lie how they may, the unblocking play 
cannot lose. As soon as the ace dropped the king, as 
it would have in this case, all Z had to do was to lead 
the ten, overtake it with the jack and run oflf all the 



2o6 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



clubs in Y's hand. After that he can make sure of the 
game with the ace and king of diamonds. 

Just look how this would have put A in a hole. Z 
can afford to discard two small diamonds and one 
spade on dummy's clubs, while B gets down to a dia- 
mond, two spades and a heart. As for A, he is either 
down to two hearts and two spades or he has dis- 
carded the spade queen and kept three hearts. If he 
has blanked his ace of spades Z leads a small spade, 
otherwise he puts A in with a heart. In either case 
he wins five by cards instead of losing his contract. 

One continually sees players who are otherwise 
above average slipping up on what might be called an- 
ticipatory unblocking plays. Here is an example : 









^ 


Q 


J 


lO 


8 5 4-2 








4^ ... 


• * • • 


. . • 








lO 


2 










4 


A 


K 


J 


9 


^ 7 






Y 




9? 9 6 3 


4 K 


J 4 


3 




A 




B 


♦ lO 9 


K 


J 8 


7 


3 




9 4 


♦ Q 


6 4 








Z 




♦ lO 8 7 




Z 


' A 


K 












Jf> A 


Q 


8 7 6 5 2 








A 


Q 


6 5 








# 


» . . . 


• • • • 


• • • 





5 3 2 



Z dealt and bid no trump. Y overcalled with two 
hearts, which he thought the safer game, but Z went 
back to the no-trumper. A led the seven of diamonds, 
which Z let come round to his queen. He then un- 
blocked the hearts by playing the ace and king, A dis- 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 207 

carding a club, and then set his wits to work to make 
the adversaries lead a spade so that dummy should 
get in. Instead of trying to clear his clubs he led a 
small diamond. 

A played the jack to shut out the ten, and finding 
his king and eight were equals he led one and put Z 
right in again on the same suit. Z in his turn put 
A in, and after A had made his two diamond tricks he 
led a small club, as B was steadily discarding spades. 
Z let B hold the trick with the nine, and when B led 
the ten Z let that win also, knowing that he must win 
every other tricky no matter what B did next. This 
gave him his contract, but not the game. 

Had Z looked ahead a little bit before playing to the 
first trick he would have seen that the only possible 
way to make the heart suit was to unblock it by dis- 
carding his own ace and king on dummy's ace and 
king of spades, and the only chance to do this was 
to hold the first diamond trick with dummy's ten, 
which is of no use and might as well be sacrificed in 
the attempt to win the game. 

The moment the ten of diamonds holds Y can lead 
two winning spades, getting rid of the two blocking 
hearts. 

Once more the effect on A's hand is seen. As in the 
hand first given, he is in a hole. He must keep the 
queen of spades while dummy is in the lead or dummy 
will make the jack after he is through with the hearts. 
Which king shall A unguard ? This is one of the posi- 
tions that go to make up bridge problems. 

While Y still has two hearts to play, A has five cards 



208 ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 

left, the king jack of two suits and the queen of spades. 
When the last heart comes along Z is down to the ace 
and queen in two suits and whichever jack A has dis- 
carded on the trick before Z will keep the queen of 
that suit;, making a grand slam in spite of anything 
A can do, instead of stopping at two by cards. 

In the first hand given A and B clearly outplayed 
Z. In the second hand they are helpless if Y put on 
the ten of diamonds second hand. Here is an excellent 
example of how carefully the forces of each side may 
be managed when one is as skilful as the other and 
the adversaries see that the declarer has an unblocking 
schemie under way. 



XXII 

ELIMINATION— A PROCESS THAT SAVES 
THE PLAYER MANY TRICKS 

There are many games in which a player is required 
to undertake the winning of a stated number of tricks, 
but in the better class, such as boston and solo whist, 
the general practice is to underbid the hand rather 
than to overcall it, and many of the declarations in 
those games are conceded without opposition, which is 
something unheard of in auction. The tendency in 
auction seems to be load the call to the limit most of 
the time, so that the declarer is always working hard 
to fulfil his contract. 

Unless the stated number of tricks is won the play 
goes for nothing unless it is a defensive call, made 
to prevent a greater loss; but in any case the secret 
of success lies in getting all there is out of the hands^, 
so that one of the first things that must be mastered 
by any one who hopes to become an expert at the 
game in playing the declarer's position is to count up 
the tricks that he is sure of as soon as dummy's cards 
are laid down and to discover exactly where the extra 
tricks that are necessary to fulfil the contract or to win 
the game are to be picked up, if at all. That settled, 
the rest of the hand can be forgotten. 

This process is technically known as elimination, and 
once mastered it will save a person at least three tricks 
on the average in every rubber, to say nothing of the 

209 



2IO 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



relief to the mental strain. It is so called because it 
eliminates from the attention everything that is not es- 
sential to the success of the declaration and leaves the 
mind free to concentrate upon the one suit in which 
tricks are to be won or lost. 

This process of elimination is particularly useful as 
a corrective for those who are in the habit of trying 
first one thing and then another, without any definite 
plan of action for the hand as a whole. It would be 
impossible to find a hand to which the process of 
elimination would not apply, and sometimes it reduces 
the whole play to such simple terms that it might be 
said a child could get all there was in the cards. Take 
this as an example of elimination in its simplest form : 





^ 


Q J 


3 


2 






* A 7 


4 3 






A Q lO 






♦ 


4 3 








^ lO 9 7 5 




Y 




^ A 


K 8 6 


♦ K Q J 9 5 


2 


A 


B 


^^ • • • 




2 




* A 


A^ 


K 


J 9 8 5 4-3 


♦ Q 9 




Z 




♦ K 


6 




^ 


4* 










♦ lO 3 


6 









7 6 









♦ AJ10 8752 



Z dealt. The bidding was open to criticism, but 
finally Y went three no trumps, and when all passed 
B led the eight of diamonds^ which Y won with the 
ten. 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 211 

Upon counting up the possibilities before him Y sees 
that there is nothing to be made in hearts if he plays 
that suit, although he might make a trick or two in it 
if his adversaries led it, so he eliminates the heart suit 
from his mind entirely. If they play hearts, well and 
good, but Y never will. 

In clubs there is no possibility of making more than 
one trick, and Y will not give up the ace of that suit 
until he is forced to, so he can eliminate the clubs as 
well as the hearts. In diamonds his game is to wait 
for B to lead the suit again or for A to lead it through 
him, as Y cannot afford to give up the tenace^ so dia- 
monds are also eliminated, leaving nothing to think 
about but spades. 

In the spade suit it is possible to make six tricks if 
the king and queen are split, no matter how they lie 
or how many guards either of those cards may have. 
These six tricks with two diamonds and the ace of 
clubs fulfil the contract and win the game. 

There is therefore nothing in the hand to think about 
except to lead the spade and finesse the ten, letting the 
adversaries do what they please about the other suits. 

A having no diamond to return, led the king of clubs 
and with seven of the suit between the two hands, Y 
put his ace right on for fear A would shift to hearts, in 
which suit B started a reverse discard with the eight. 

Another spade brought down the king and on the 
five established cards in Z's hand B completed his echo 
in hearts and discarded all his diamonds but the king 
and jack. Z led the heart, putting B in, and Y made 
two diamond tricks, four by cards. 



212 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



Occasionally the process of elimination leads a good 
player to leave suits alone which would be the very first 
that the beginner would attack. Here is a very in- 
structive case that illustrates what is meant : 







^ A 


lO 


8 












*Q 


6 


5 










OA 


Q 


J 4- 








2 


^ 


6 


3 


2 




J 




^ K 






Y 




^ Q 


9 


A A 


K lO 9 8 


7 3 


A 




B 


* J 






K 


9 3 




^ ^B 




*^ 


lO 


9 


5 


♦ 5 








Z 




♦ J 


8 


7 




^ 


7 


6 


5 










* 4- 


2 












7 


6 


2 










^ 


A 


K 


Q lO 9 







4- 3 



This hand was played under the old system of scor- 
ing, Y getting the play at two no trumps. 

B led the jack of clubs to his partner's declared suit 
and dummy's cards went down. Now, the proper 
time for the declarer to eliminate is before he plays to 
the first trick, because the inferences then made are the 
key to the hand. 

A beginner would probably count up the combined 
hands as good for five spade tricks, two aces and a club 
trick. That fulfils the contract, but does not go game, 
the only chance for that third trick being apparently 
an extra diamond. 

But these eight tricks are not certain by any means. 
The queen of clubs must make or A will never clear 
his suit. The two aces are certain, and three of the 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 213 

Spades. Any trick in hearts but the ace is impossible. 
Any trick in clubs but the queen is also impossible. 

This enables the declarer to eliminate at once any 
thought about two suits, hearts and clubs. He can also 
dismiss the spade suit from his mind, as that will play 
itself any time he leads it. This concentrates his 
whole attention on getting two tricks in diamonds, so 
as to go game. There is nothing else to think about, 
something may turn up later, but that is all for the 
start, two tricks in diamonds. 

A won the first round of clubs with the king and 
led the ace, B discarding a diamond. A led a third 
round of clubs, which made it look as if he had a good 
chance to get in again, or he would have switched to 
his partner's hearts, which had been bid. 

Y now sees his way clear to that extra diamond 
trick. By putting Z in with a spade and leading the 
diamonds from that hand he lies over A. If B has the 
king it does not matter, as B cannot get A into the lead 
again while Y has the best heart. 

The beginner would never play the hand this way, 
but would try to run off five spade tricks, hoping to 
force discards and lead to the diamond tenace after 
the spades were all made. 

As soon as the jack of diamonds holds Y plays for 
a second finesse in the same suit by putting Z in again 
with another spade^ and this trick shows that B had the 
spade suit stopped with four to the jack. After mak- 
ing four tricks in diamonds Y leads a third spade 
through to Z, takes the finesse and makes every card 
in that suit with the ace of hearts, five by cards. 



214 ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 

--------- — --------------•_.__-...»«*»*. 

As an illustration of how a change in the adver- 
saries' attack would shift the point of attention for the 
declarer, suppose that A had abandoned his clubs after 
making ace and king and had led a heart, the king. Y 
would have put the ace on the second round and kave 
eliminated the diamond suit from consideration, as it 
would be too risky to take that finesse while B held 
three stiff hearts. 

Two rounds of spades would have shown that A 
was out, and by putting himself in with the ace of 
diamonds Y could have made sure of the club and 
five spade tricks. A diamond from Z's hand would 
then be safe, the contract and the game being secure. 

The diamond finesse in this variation would risk the 
loss of lOO points, as A has already won three tricks 
with clubs and hearts and B has three hearts that are 
good. The hope would be of course that the spades 
would drop. Should A turn out to be the player that 
had the spades stopped he could not have a diamond 
in his hand, so* that Z could not win, no matter what 
he did. 

In the trump declarations this process of elimination 
is usually much simpler, because the tricks that can 
be counted on are more secure, nothing being able to 
take away from a player the tricks to be won with the 
high trumps. Here is a good example of elimination in 
a trump-declaring hand: 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



215 









^105 










♦ A Q 


3 








9 7 


4 




8 




♦ 


J 10 


7 


3 2 


^ 9 




Y 




^ K 7 3 


A K 
K 


8 7 
Q 10 


2 
5 


3 


A 


B 


4 J 10 5 

8 2 


♦ 9 


6 






Z 




♦ A K Q 8 4. 




^ 


A Q 


J 


6 4 2 








A 9 6 


4. 








A J 


6 








♦ 


5 







Z dealt and gets the play on a bid of three hearts, 
A leading the king of diamonds. 

When Z counts up the combined hands for the cer- 
tain tricks, he finds five in trumps, no matter where 
the king lies^ one in clubs and one in diamonds, but 
that is all. This is two short of his contract and he 
has to determine before he plays to the first trick what 
he v/ill concentrate his attention upon so as to get 
those extra tricks. 

The first opportunity that presents itself is to pass 
the king of diamonds, so that if A continues the suit 
both jack and ace will make tricks for Z provided B 
does not ruff the second round. The next thing that 
suggests itself is the possibility of catching the king of 
trumps if it is in B's hand, which would pick up a 
trick. Still another chance is a club finesse. If two of 
these finesses go right the contract is safe ; Z wins the 
game, provided he gets the two tricks in diamonds for 
a starter. 

A did go on with the diamond and the jack won. 



2l6 ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 

The club finesse held, the trump came through and 
caught the king and Z went game on the hand. 

This was a simple, clearcut proposition in elimina- 
tion. Nothing doing in spades, finesses in two suits 
and a Bath coup in the adversaries' suit. 

There are occasional hands in which there is noth- 
ing to play for apparently, in which case the thing to 
eliminate is the suits that you would have to lead from 
at a disadvantage and to give away tricks in some 
other suit, so as to let the adversaries develop the 
hand for you. Strange as it may seem, they v/ill al- 
ways do this if you will only give them a chance by 
leading a suit in which they must win all the tricks 
anyway. 

The result of these tactics usually is that the adver- 
saries are induced to shift round and try first one thing 
and then another, and toward the end of the hand you 
will find that they have made several cards of yours 
good for tricks which were not worth anything at the 
start and which you could not have promoted yourself, 
no matter how you managed things. If any one makes 
a mistake and loses a trick in these hands it will not 
be the declarer. Take this case: 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



217 









^10 6 4-2 










4k 8 2 










J 8 2 






J 




♦ 


Q 10 4- 


2 




^ Q 




Y 


^ K 8 7 


5 


A A 


K 7 


5 


4 


A B 


A J 




K 


9 7 


4 


3 


A * Ji^ 


A 10 5 




♦ 7 








z 


♦ K J 8 


5 3 




^ A 9 3 












A Q 10 9 6 3 










Q 6 










♦ A 9 6 







The dealer, Z^ was one of those that believe in light 
no-trumpers, so he made that declaration immediately, 
and all passed. A led his fourth best club and dummy's 
cards went down. 

All the tricks that Z could count upon as certain 
between the two hands were two aces, and he had un- 
dertaken to make seven. Where were the remaining 
five tricks to come from? The first was won with 
the queen of clubs, marking both ace and king in A's 
hand, but this leaves Z still four tricks shy with the 
lead. 

The process with all such hands is to eliminate the 
suits that will lose tricks if led. This disposes of the 
diamond, as it is well known that queen in one hand^ 
jack in the other, either twice guarded, will stop the 
suit provided you do not lead it and do not play a high 
card second hand. 

The next suit to eliminate is the spade, as it is a 
guess where the king lies, and you stand a better 



2l8 ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 

chance to make two tricks if they lead the suit for you. 
Then you eliminate the clubs because if Z leads them 
A will hold off and get a tenace. If Z lets A lead clubs 
two of Z's cards will be good for two tricks. 

Having eliminated everything but the hearts it is 
clear that there is nothing much to lose or gain by 
leading them, as the adversaries have the king, queen 
and jack between them, so that is the best play. Z 
led a small heart and A came out with the king of 
clubs. Finding he would establish the ten and nine he 
led a spade to his partner's discard of the eight. Y 
played small and Z let the jack hold the tricky which 
made A think B had the ace and king. 

B led a small heart through and Z put on the ace, so 
as to lead one of the second and third best clubs, the 
fall of the hearts giving him the same thing in that 
suit. A did not win the club ten, so Z led a heart, on 
which A started a reverse in diamonds. B led the ace 
and five of diamonds and then A made a mistake. In- 
stead of setting the contract for one trick by making 
his club while he w^as in he thought he could make it 
two by putting Y in with the diamond and letting B 
make two spades, instead of which Y and Z made two 
spades after the diamond and heart tricks. 

In addition to the two tricks that were in sight when 
dummy's cards were laid down Z makes three tens^ a 
jack and a queen and shuts out an ace, king, queen, 
jack and ten in the hands of the adversaries, dis- 
tributed among four suits. 

This result, as in all such hands, is due simply to elim- 
inating the suits that are bad ones to lead away from. 



XXIII 
FALSE CARDING 

The old discussion as to whether it is better to in- 
form your partner or deceive your adversary in play- 
ing your hand cannot apply to the declarer at auction, 
because he has no partner, and the general impression 
among those who have studied the subject seems to be 
that he should play all the false cards he can, pro- 
vided they are false and not merely irregular, which 
makes a great difference. 

The idea is that while the adversaries are signalling 
up their hands to each other by means of various well 
established conventions in the way of leads, returns 
and echoes, the declarer should do his best to render 
these messages ambiguous by sending wireless words 
across the line of communication. 

When this can be done understandingly and 
effectively it is usually the work of an expert, but the 
average player has no idea of the correct definition of 
a false card and imagines anything to be false that is 
unconventional, whether it is calculated to deceive or 
not. Here is a classical example of correct false card- 
ing which the beginner would do well to study, as it 
forms an effective contract to the examples of alleged 
false cards that are to follow : 



219 



220 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 











^ 2 




















* lO 


8 


6 2 
















Q 


J 


lO 6 5 


4 








7 


5 


4- 


# 


K 


6 






K 






^ 8 


3 




Y 




9? A 




A Q 


J 


9 






A 




B 


4k A 


K 


4. 


3 


9 


8 


3 






A X 




u 


OA 


7 


2 




♦ lO 


3 










Z 




♦ J 


8 


7 


2 




9? 


Q 


J 


lO 


9 6 












4k 7 


5 





















K 















♦ A Q 9 5 4- 



B won the declaration at two no trumps, which Z 
doubled. 

Z led the king of diamonds, the suit his partner had 
named, and B let it win. Z then led his fourth best 
spade, as he knew by his partner's bid that Y could 
have nothing in hearts and that his getting in on that 
suit was hopeless. 

When B counted up his sure tricks he found that 
there were just seven in sight in hearts, diamonds and 
clubs and not one more possible under any circum- 
stances^ as a fourth heart trick was out of the ques- 
tion against Z's original call. The only chance for 
an extra trick is in spades, and the only way to get it is 
to induce the adversaries to lead that suit three times. 

Y won the spade trick with the king, which took 
out his only re-entry and made it useless to go on with 
his diamonds, so he returned the six of spades. On 
the first trick B played the seven and on the next he 
played the eight. 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 221 

When Z won the second round with the queen it 
looked as if the spades were estabhshed, as he read his 
partner for king, six, deuce originally, and credited 
him with returning the higher of two^ so that the ace 
would drop the deuce and jack, making the nine and 
four good. Instead of this the jack was made good for 
a trick in B's hand, winning the contract and the game. 

Let B play the deuce of spades to the first round 
and Z stops at the second round, leading a heart, and 
the contract is set no matter how B plays. 

Many of the alleged false cards played by the be- 
ginner are calculated to inform rather than to deceive, 
because, paradoxical as it may seem^ there are some 
false cards which betray the very thing the player is 
trying to conceal. 

.The most common example is the habit so many 
players have of winning a trick with the ace when 
they hold both ace and king. Some do this so per- 
sistently that it is a safe bet they do not hold the ace 
v/hen they play the king ; but the astonishing part of it 
is that they pay no attention to the circumstances un- 
der which they false card the ace and therefore fail to 
see that in many cases it defeats the very end they 
have in view. 

To play the ace when holding the king sometimes 
gives the adversaries information which enables them 
to defeat a contract or save a game which they would 
otherwise have lost heavily on. Take this case: 



2.22 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 













^ K 

^ 8 
9 


9 
3 
8 


8 6 3 2 






7 








♦ 


9 


8 


4 






^ Q 






Y 




^ lO 5 


4- 


^ 9 


2 










A 




B 


A K 7 


6 


OQ 


J 


ID 


6 


5 


4 


X A 




u 


7 2 


- 


♦ A 


J 


5 










Z 




♦ Q lO 


7 6 3 




^ A 


J 


















A A 


Q 


J lO 5 4- 














A 


K 


3 







♦ K 2 

Z dealt and called no trumps. A bid two diamonds 
and Y two hearts, which B passed. Z went two no 
trumps and all passed, A leading the queen of dia- 
monds. 

It is a well established convention that in playing 
against a no-trumper the lead of a queen may be 
either of two things. It may be from queen jack ten 
and others or it may be from ace queen jack and 
others, without a re-entry in the hand, because it is then 
important to get the king out of the way at once and 
leave the partner a card to return. This interior lead^ 
as it is called, is often very effective. 

Z won the trick with the ace, simply because he 
had the habit of false carding that way, overlooking 
the fact that this tells B that A cannot be leading from 
ace queen jack, and cannot have the king either, as he 
would lead the king if he held both king and queen. 

Z, who was otherwise a very good player, saw 
there was nothing in the hands but the club finesse, so 
he led ace and jack of hearts, putting dummy in, and 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



223 



came through with a club. Failing to drop the king 
in two rounds and being unable to get dummy in again 
he went on with a third club, thinking B would return 
his partner's suit, in which Z had, as he thought^ con- 
cealed the king. 

This is just what B did not do. Apart from A's dis- 
card of a diamond the false card on the first trick had 
told B that Z had the king of diamonds to bring in the 
clubs with, so B made his ten of hearts and then led a 
small spade, making five tricks in that suit and setting 
the contract for 100 points. 

Let Z play the king on the first trick and B would 
feel compelled to return the diamond on the chance 
that A had led from ace queen jack, and Z would have 
just gone game and rubber, so that the false card on 
the first trick cost Z about 400 points. 

A sharp adversary will sometimes take a desperate 
chance w^hen he gets a line on the situation in this 
way. Here is a case given by Badsworth : 









^ 


A 


K 9 










« 10 


4- 3 








J 


9 8 5 




3 


2 


♦ 


8 


5 4 




^ 4- 






Y 


V Q 


* A 


Q 






A 


B 


A 8 


OQ 


10 


6 3 


2 






7 


♦ J 


9 


7 






Z 


♦ 3 




^ 


• • • 












Jk K 


J 9 7 5 








A 


K 4. 








♦ 


A 


K Q 1 


6 



<^QJ10 8765 



6 2 



224 ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 

The score was love all^ rubber game. The bidding 
was unusual^ but ended with Y playing the hand on 
his declaration of three no trumps, doubled by A. 

B led the queen of hearts and Z discarded the small 
diamond. Y made the same old play, false carding the 
ace and betraying the position of the king. 

A sees at a glance that Y has his contract, the game 
and the rubber in hand. Five spades, two diamonds in 
dummy and two hearts marked in Y's hand. Y also 
saw it but thought it worth while to try for an extra 
trick or two in clubs^ as they were now worth 70 
points apiece to him, so he led the ten and passed it up. 

A won the trick with the ace, not the queen. 

A return of the heart brought the king from Y and 
also a smile, as he could now see a sure finesse in clubs, 
making three more tricks in that suit. This meant a 
small slam at 24 a trick and 200 in penalties. 

The finesse of the club nine fell to A's queen and a 
third heart from A made five tricks in B's hand, set- 
ting the contract for 300 points. The reader can judge 
for himself which was the better of the two false 
cards, Y's on the hearts or A's on the clubs. 

Another error in false carding which is very com- 
mon is in discarding intermediate cards in order to 
lead the adversaries to believe that you have none 
smaller in that suit. From queen and deuce a sharp 
player will sometimes discard the queen and make the 
deuce at the end. In any case the object is to make 
the other side miscount your hand. 

But if your adversaries belong to the class that can 
count hands at all they can count the spots on your 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



225 



discard as well. This is the way hands are counted by 
crack players. Here is an illustrating case: 









^ 


7 


5 3 














*Q 


6 












K 


Q J 10 8 








8 




♦ 


J 


4. 3 




10 




^ 9 






Y 


9? A K 


2 


A 5 


4 


2 




A 


B 


AA 9 


3 




9 


6 


4 


3 




m^ 


OA 7 


2 




♦ A 


Q 


9 


2 




z 


♦ K 10 


6 






^ 


Q 


J 6 


4. 










A K 


J 10 8 7 












5 














# 


8 


7 5 









B plays the hand on a bid of one no trumps. Z led 
the diamond to his partner's declared suit so as to get 
the club through B. Y played the eight and B held off 
so as to exhaust Z. Y led the king, and the ace being 
still held up he saw it was useless to go on with no re- 
entry, so he led the club queen and B put on the ace. 

All that B can see in the hand is four spade tricks, 
one diamond and two hearts. These with the club 
trick in hand make him two by cards. Nothing but a 
third trick in hearts will give him the game. 

B made his four spade tricks, and on the last round 
he discarded the ten of hearts to make it look as if he 
had only two higher, which would mark him with three 
more clubs. 

But Z could count cards just as well as he could 
count hands, and as Y discarded the trey of hearts and 



226 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



dummy has not the deuce, Z reads the situation this 
way : Y having won the first trick with the eight of dia- 
monds and the nine being in the dummy, Y must have 
held K O J lo 8, therefore B has only the ace left. Y 
cannot have a winning hearty or he would have gone 
on and established his diamonds. 

Now if B has the deuce of hearts, which is marked 
in his hand by his false discard of the ten, he has only 
two clubs, so Z keeps all his hearts and B just fails in 
his scheme to go game by coaxing heart discards. 

Another stunt that is a great favorite with the be- 
ginner is startling his adversaries by winning tricks 
with very small cards when he has the intermediates in 
the concealed hand. While this is not false carding in 
the strictest sense of the word, it is false leading and 
the idea is to deceive and mislead, whereas the result 
is precisely opposite if the adversaries are good play- 
ers. Here is a practical demonstration of the folly of 
this play; 

^ J lO 3 

4 J 4- 

Q lO 7 

♦ J lO 9 7 5 





9? 8 


7 2 








Y 


9? A K 


6 




A K 


Q lO 8 


7 


3 


A 


B 


4k 6 2 




1 


6 








A* 


A 4 


3 


t 


♦ Q 


6 2 








Z 


♦ A 8 


4 




^ 


Q 


9 5 














♦ A 


9 5 












K 


J 9 8 5 2 












♦ 


K 









At the score of love all, Z bid no trumps and all 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 227 

passed. A led th^ king of clubs and followed with the 
queen to prevent the jack and ace from making sepa- 
rately^ Z holding off for both rounds. The third round 
of clubs put Z in. Now comes the smart play that lost 
the game. 

Z led the deuce of diamonds and played the seven 
from dummy, which forced the ace from B and made 
Z smile at his own cleverness. 

B was a shrewd player and he also smiled, because 
he could count Z's hand for the K J 9 8 and 5 of dia- 
monds, no clubs, and four unknown cards. To un- 
cover these four cards B led two rounds of hearts, king 
and ace, on which A echoed with the seven and eight, 
marking him with the deuce alone and showing that Z 
held the queen alone. The Foster echo in this case 
accounts for three of Z's unknown cards. 

Then Z has only one spade. 

No matter what spade it is, let it be either king or 
queen, it must leave A with the best spade, as Y has 
nothing higher than the jack, so B leads the ace of 
spades, puts A in with another spade and A makes all 
the rest of his clubs; leaving Z with only three tricks 
on a contract to make seven. This is entirely due to 
Z's smartness in putting the seven of diamonds on the 
first round of that suit instead of the queen. 

Unless a false card is played with a definite object 
in view and one that is likely to succeed in picking up 
a trick or two it is likely to do more harm than good 
against watchful adversaries. You cannot mislead 
players who do not pay any attention to the fall of the 
cards, so false cards are absolutely useless against them. 



XXIV 

A-J-io FINESSE 

Among the first things that the auction player learns 
is the possibility of winning tricks with cards which 
are not the best of the suit nor in sequence with them, 
and such is the attraction of successful finessing that 
some persons declare they would not care for the game 
if this element were taken from it. The opportunities 
made evident for the finesse are the secret charm of 
the open hand that makes every one like to play the 
dummy. 

The finesse that every player learns very early in his 
career is the ace queen, which is the simplest of all, 
being against only one conspicuous card, the king. The 
finesse that some players never learn is that against two 
cards, both king and queen. ' 

In the ace queen finesse there are only two possible 
positions for the king, in one of which it must make 
if the queen is put on third hand, and in the other of 
which the queen must be good for a trick. It is an 
even thing that the finesse wins or loses and it is up 
to the player whether to risk it or not. Some will tell 
you never to take a finesse that is not necessary to ac- 
complish some definite object, such as winning the 
game. 

The A-J-io finesse is quite a different proposition, as 
it must be taken if anything is to be made of the suit. 
There are four possible positions of the king and queen 
and they are not equally probable by any means, so 

228 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



229 



that it is not an even thing to win or lose a trick by tak- 
ing the finesse. If the holder of the A-J-io knows how 
to manage his cards he can not only make the odds 
largely in favor of the finesse, but it can be demon- 
strated that he must lose if he does not take it, which 
looks as if the odds in its favor amounted to a cer- 
tainty. 

In order to make this clear let us look at the four 
possible distributions of the two cards that are against 
the player who holds the A-J-io. 

A J 10- A J 10 



K 






A J 10 


K Q 





K 



A J 10 




K Q 



A moment's inspection of this diagram will show 
that it does not matter in which hand the A-J-io is 
held, because that would simply make the position on 
the left take the place of the one on the right. Whether 
the declarer or the dummy holds the cards does not 
matter, as the play is the same. 

The problem is to prevent both king and queen 
from winning tricks, which means that you shall get 
two tricks out of your three cards. It is clearly im- 
possible to prevent one or the other from making unless 
there are no small cards with them, but the thing is to 
prevent both of them from winning. This can be done 



230 ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 

in every case but the fourth position shown in the dia- 
gram. If there is a small card with the king and queen 
they must both take tricks, and the jack and ten must 
both lose tricks if they are played second or third 
hand, just as the king must win and the queen must 
lose in the regular ace queen finesse if the king is on 
the left of the ace and queen. 

The odds against both king and queen being to the 
left as shown in the fourth position in the diagram are 
8^2 to I. There are 39X38=1482 ways for the two 
cards to lie, and there are 13X12=156 of these ways 
that will place them both on the left of the A-J- 
10. This gives us the fraction of probability 
156 6 I 

= — = — , which is 8^ to I. 

1482 57 9>4 

It is therefore just 8^ to i that you will prevent 
both king and queen from winning tricks if you know 
how to handle the A- J- 10 finesse. The great secret 
is to be able to lead the suit twice from the weak hand 
and to play the ten the first time and the jack the 
second unless a high card is put on second hand. The 
trouble is to arrange for those two leads, and that is 
where the beginner fails. 

If you lead from the weak hand to the strong and a 
small card is played second hand you are sure to lose 
the trick if you play the ten third hand^ but that is 
part of the scheme. Suppose it goes to the queen, as 
in the first diagram. If you can put the weak hand in 
again and finesse the jack on the second round, it is 
8^ to I that it will hold the trick and that the ace will 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



231 



be good for the third round. This of course refers 
to no-trumpers or to the trump suit or after the trumps 
have been exhausted. 

If you lead from the weak hand and either king or 
queen is played second hand, as it would be in the third 
diagram, the finesse is no longer required, because you 
have caught one of the cards you intended to finesse 
against. The play is then to win the trick with the ace 
and to force out the other high card by leading one of 
your two equals, the jack or ten. 

The difficulty in this finesse is not so much in the 
making it as it is in providing for the lead to come 
twice from the weak hand, as it is usually the hand 
with the A-J-io that has all the high cards in the other 
suits if the make is no trumps. This provision for the 
lead is the thing that taxes the player's skill. Any 
average player may see the finesse and may know that 
he should make it twice in the same suit, but he does 
not foresee the importance of arranging matters so that 
the lead shall come right for the play. Take this case : 









^ A 


K 


Q 


10 7 










* A 


J 


10 


7 2 










J 


3 


2 








4 


2 


# 


... 


• • • 




^86 




^ 5 






Y 




3 


♦ Q 


4 


3 




A 




B 


A K 9 


6 


A 


8 






M A 




AJ 


K 10 


9 


♦ Q 


9 


8 5 


2 




Z 




♦ A K 






^ 


J 


9 












4 


» 8 


5 









Q 7 6 

♦ J 10 7 6 4 3 



5 4. 



232 ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 

Z dealt and bid one spade, which A doubled, and Y 
called one heart, B going on to two in diamonds. Y 
bid two hearts, and all having passed, B led the king of 
spades, so as to show his re-entry card before starting 
his diamonds. Y trumped the spade with the seven and 
led the ten of hearts, which he overtook with Z's jack, 
so as to lead the club through and take the A-J-iofinesse. 

The ten of clubs went to B's king and he led an- 
other spade, which Y trumped. Y then led his ace of 
clubs and failing to drop the queen he led a small one 
and let Z trump it. He then trumped himself in 
again with a spade, but after his trump lead each ad- 
versary had a trump left, so that B ruffed the next 
trick and led a diamond, upon which A made his ace, 
took home his spade queen, and then returned the dia- 
mond^ trumping the last trick with the five of hearts 
and setting the contract for 50 points. 

After the hand Y spent some time arguing that he 
should have led a diamond instead of a spade after 
ruffing out the clubs^ because if A put on the ace and 
led his winning spade Y could refuse to trump, and 
when A led another spade Y would still pass, as Z 
had the top spade. B would have trumped it and made 
the king of diamonds, which Y would also have passed, 
but when A trumped Z's queen of diamonds Y could 
have overtrumped, caught the trump and made good 
his contract. 

This is all very ingenious and very much like double 
dummy, but it is entirely unnecessary. What Y should 
have done was to arrange for two club lead from Z's 
hand^ so as to take the double finesse in Y's hand. 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



233 



Had he trumped the first spade trick with the queen 
and led the ten, putting Z in with the jack, he would 
have got his first finesse. By trumping the next spade 
lead with the king and leading the seven he could have 
put Z in again with the nine of trumps. On the second 
round of clubs the finesse of the jack would have held. 
Y could then have pulled all the trumps and made all 
his clubs, winning three by cards instead of losing his 
contract. 

One thing about this finesse is that it does not matter 
how the high cards are divided — the ace may be in one 
hand and the jack ten in the other — as the two tricks 
can still be made whether the second hand covers or 
not, provided the lead is always to the hand with the 
ace and not from it. The only trouble is that unless 
the player has the nine also he may be obliged to block 
himself or the adversary may block him. In all such 
cases the important thing is not only to get into the 
lead twice but to get the hand in when the suit is 
established. Here is a case that illustrates this position : 









^ 


' 9 7 


3 














* Q 9 
















A 8 


6 


5 2 








J 


10 5 


♦ 10 6 


4- 


9? 8 


6 




^ K 


2 


Y 




4- 


A 10 
K 


6 

7 


5 




A 


B 


OQ 


7 
9 


4- 
3 


♦ A 


5 


2 




Z 




♦ Q 


8 


7 




^ 


A Q 












4k A K 


8 


2 












J 10 


4- 














# 


K J 


9 


3 







234 ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 

The score was 20 to o in favor of A and B on the 
rubber game. Z bid one no trump and A overcalled 
with two hearts, Y and B both passing. Z, with only 
two hearts in hand, was afraid A might go game^ so he 
overcalled with two no trumps. 

A led the ten of hearts, B played the six and Z won 
with the queen. When Z led the jack of diamonds so 
as to take the finesse A put on the king second hand, 
which some players believe to be the right play, al- 
though it is difficult to see what difference it makes, as 
the A-J-io must make two tricks if the king and queen 
are divided. 

Y won the king with the ace and returned the small 
diamond, but B held off with the queen, hoping dummy 
could not get in again before the hearts were cleared. 
Z won with the ten and returned the small one^ A be- 
ginning a reverse discard in spades to show his re- 
entry. When B returned the heart Z won it and led a 
small club, putting dummy in to make his two estab- 
lished diamonds, which just gave Z the game. . 

Beginners are continually making the mistake of 
playing for something else instead of arranging first 
of all for this A-J-io finesse. Here is a case in point: 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



235 







^ A J 


4* 






A J 10 


6 






A 8 


5 3 






4k J 3 


2 




^ K 8 2 




y 




9? 9 7 6 5 3 


♦ 7 2 






A 


B 


* K Q 3 


K 9 2 






A * 


x^ 


J 10 6 


♦ K Q 10 


9 


5 


z 




♦ 7 6 




9? 


Q 10 










AA 9 


8 5 4 






Q 7 


4. 






♦ 


A 8 


4- 





Z bid one no trump and all passed. A led the king 
of spades and Z won it with the ace, returning the 
eight so as to make the jack good for a trick, hoping 
that one of the red suits would be opened up to his ten- 
aces. In this he made the common mistake of imagin- 
ing the adversaries would play his game for him. A 
let the jack win the second trick. 

Now if Y comes through with the jack of clubs and 
the finesse loses, three spades make in A's hand, but 
there is nothing else to do^ so Y led the club. B false 
carded the king and Z won it with the ace and returned 
the suit, fully expecting A to win with the queen, but 
B let the ten hold. Another club put B in, A discard- 
ing a heart. 

B led the jack of diamonds and Z covered with the 
queen, so as to kill A's king if he had it, which it did. 
The return of the diamond put B in again and he took 
a chance on a third round, so that A won- with the nine 
and made all his spades. The result was that Z just 



236 ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 

got his contract when he might easily have won the 
game. 

The correct play of the hand was for Z to let the 
spades alone and to lead the queeen of hearts the mo- 
ment he got in. A would conventionally cover the 
honor with an honor on the chance of making a ten 
good in his partner's hand^ and the ace would win. The 
jack of clubs from Y's hand would then give Z the 
play to clear the suit, because no matter whether B 
refuses to win the second round or not Z will never let 
up until both king and queen are out of the way, as he 
has no fear of the spades while Y holds the jack 
guarded. 

If B leads a spade after the clubs are cleared Y gets 
in with the jack and leads a small heart to Z, whose 
ten is good for re-entry. After Z has made his two 
established clubs he can put Y in with a diamond and 
let Y make the jack of hearts, which gives him four 
by cards and the game. 

This finesse has been explained on the assumption 
that the declarer has to lead the suit ; but it should be 
evident that the process is precisely the same if a small 
card is led through the A-J-io combination, as the 
only way to make two tricks is to finesse the jack or 
ten second hand. If both king and queen are to the 
left of the combination and guarded they must make. 
If not, the finesse must succeed. 

It will sometimes happen that the king or queen is 
led up to or through the combination, and many players 
think the first trick should be given up so as to make 
three tricks if the suit is led again. It is usually much 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 237 

safer to win the king or queen with the ace and to 
force the other with the jack or ten, as the adversaries 
are almost certain to shift. 

Some players profess to attach some importance to 
the fact that the adversaries have not led a king queen 
suit and argue from this that the king and queen are 
divided, but such inferences are too rigid to be of any 
practical value in play. 

When an adversary holds the king and queen alone 
and sees this finesse made against him he should always 
false card the king on the first round, so as to induce 
the leader to take the second finesse against the queen, 
which would allow the unguarded queen to make. 



XXV 

BAD FINESSES 

One hears so much about the importance of finessing 
at auction that some persons, beginners especially, 
imagine that they should take all the finesses that pre- 
sent themselves. This is a serious error^ because there 
are many finesses that are very bad^ some not being 
finesses at all in fact, but simply tricks thrown away, 
while some are doubtful and others present a choice. 

Bad finessing positions should be let alone and an 
efifort made to induce the adversaries to open the suit. 
Doubtful finesses should be considered from the view- 
point of the score or the size of the contract. If there 
is a choice between two finesses it will usually be 
found that one can be determined to be better than the 
other either on account of the hand to be finessed 
against or the position of the lead. 

In the old whist days the authorities had a great 
deal to say about finessing, classifying the various 
forms and giving them appropriate names. Descha- 
pelles, the famous French player and inventor of the 
Deschapelles coup, made his reputation on his wonder- 
ful finesse^ the French term for which, by the way, is 
impasse. In spite of all its manifest advantages careful 
writers on the game have laid it down as an axiom 
that if the finesse is an even thing to win a trick or to 
lose it the finesse should never be taken. 

If a finesse is necessary to get the odd trick or to win 

238 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 239 

the game it is not considered an even thing because of 
the added advantage that success carries with it. But 
if a finesse which lost would let in a trick which would 
not otherwise make against the player it is not con- 
sidered justifiable. Drayson gives this example: 

When only three cards remain in the hand, hearts 
being trumps, Z led a suit of which the ace was gone. 
Y held the king and jack and did not know who held 
the thirteenth trump. If he finesses the jack and it 
holds he wins two spade tricks. If the queen is on his 
left he never makes the king, because he lets in a win- 
ning diamond and the trump takes the last trick no 
matter where it is. 

In such a case the finesse wins a trick if it succeeds 
and it loses a trick if it does not. Unless the trick is 
worth something more than the trick itself the author- 
ities seem to think such a finesse should not be taken. 

All writers on tactics divide the finesse into two 
parts, speculative and obligatory, but the old whist 
authorities made no distinction between the dealer and 
his adversaries. In auction the adversaries never 
finesse because the conditions for it cannot arise owing 
to the exposed dummy hand. All the finessing is done 
by the declarer, and he has many opportunities to make 
a mess of it. 

Probably the worst of the bad finesses at auction is 
one that lets in an adverse suit in which you have no 
protection. While a player will seldom make this mis- 
take if the suit has been led and established against 
him in the course of play one often does it at the very 
beginning of the hand, carelessness or inattention being 



240 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



usually responsible for such an error. Here is a sam- 
ple of what one sees almost every day : 

^ A Q 

* Q 6 2 
7 2 

♦ J 8 7 4- 3 2 



^ J lO 7 

« 

A J 6 
♦ Q lO 6 



5 4-32 



Y 




^ K 8 


6 




A 


B 


* lO 9 
K 9 


7 
8 


5 
5 


Z 




♦ 5 







^ 9 

4 A K J 8 

Q lO 3 

# A K 9 



4- 3 



The score being love all on the rubber game Z 
started with one no trump and A called two in hearts, 
Y and B passing. Z was afraid A and B might go 
game in hearts, so he called two no trumps and A, 
equally afraid of Z, went on to three hearts. This Y 
doubled, but instead of letting the double stand and 
playing for penalties Z went three no trumps on the 
strength of his partner's having the hearts stopped. 

A led the fourth best heart and Z carelessly played 
the queen. B won the trick with the king and led the 
eight of diamonds so as to cover dummy's seven. Z 
put on the ten and A won with the jack, returning ace 
and six, so that B made three more tricks in the suit, 
leaving Z nothing but the odd and setting the contract 
for 200 points. 

Had Z followed the advice often given in this book, 
to count up the possibilities of the combined hands be- 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



241 



fore playing a card from dummy, he would have seen 
that six clubs and two spades were a certainty and all 
he had to do was to put the ace of hearts on the first 
trick to win the game and rubber. 

One of the most common faults with the beginner is 
trying to make a finesse by leading one of the cards 
with which he hopes to win a trick. One constantly 
sees the queen led to the ace, or one of both queen and 
jack led in the same way. No matter which adversary 
holds the king this attempt at a finesse is bound to fail 
unless the player has the ten as well as the queen and 
jack. 

Sometimes a player will be so blinded by the attrac- 
tions of a finesse that he will overlook some much sim- 
pler and more rational way of playing the hand. Take 
this case : 









^ A 


7 


5 


2 










* K 


7 


6 










OQ 


J 


3 






8 


3 


♦ A 


Q 


7 






^ Q 






Y 




^ K 


J 


♦ Q 


J 


10 




A 




B 


* 4. 


2 


10 


9 


8 5 


2 




K 




♦ 10 


9 








Z 




♦ K 


8 




^ 


9 
















« A 


9 


8 5 3 













A 


7 


6 


4- 





10 6 4 



6 5 3 



^3^2, 



Y plays the hand at two no trumps. 
B did not like the idea of leading a singleton king 
up to Y, whom he credited with the ace, so he started 



2df2 ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 

with the ten of hearts. Y, looking forward to the 
finesse in diamonds, thought it better to exhaust A's 
hearts, so he held off. B continued with the six, A won 
with the queen and returned the trey, which Y took 
with the ace, Z discarding a spade and a club. 

Y then made the old mistake of leading the queen of 
diamonds, as if it were a finesse. Z's ace won B's king 
and the suit was dropped in favor of the jack of spades. 
This, as the student of tactics w^ll observe, is simply- 
repeating the error just made in the diamond suit, be- 
cause there is no finesse in such a lead, and it is doubly 
bad because it is an attempt to finesse against the wrong 
hand, B being the player with the dangerous suit. 

B made his king of spades and his two hearts, Z dis- 
carding a club and Y a diamond. B led a club and Y's 
king won A's ten. After making his two good spades, 
his diamond and the ace of clubs, the last trick had to 
be given to A, so that Y and Z got the odd only and 
were set for fifty points, when they should have won 
the game. 

The first part of the hand was correctly played, ex- 
hausting A's hearts by passing two rounds, but there is 
no finesse, properly so called, in any suit for Y and Z, 
both diamonds and spades being bad finessing posi- 
tions. The correct play for Y, after winning the third 
round of hearts, dummy discarding a spade and a dia- 
mond, was to lead a small club, and if B did not cover 
to duck it, because there is nothing to fear from A. 

If A comes through with the spade, leading up to 
weakness, which would be the most natural thing for 
him to do, Y must put on the ace second hand, refusing 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



243 



to take any finesse against the player with the estab- 
lished hearts. If Y now leads the king of clubs and 
both sides follow suit, all the clubs must make, Y dis- 
carding a heart and a spade, neither of which is any 
good to him. 

The only trick left for Y and Z, apparently, is the ace 
of diamonds. When it unexpectedly drops the king, Y 
makes two more diamond tricks and the game. 

A finesse is sometimes right for one reason and 
WTong for another and the player sometimes has to 
decide which road to take. Sometimes both come up in 
the same hand in two different suits. The writer re- 
cently saw a curious instance of a declarer taking a 
finesse correctly in the first suit and then spoiling it all 
by a wrong finesse in another suit. Here is the hand : 









Z 


' K Q 


J 


10 5 4 










♦ 8 2 












10 6 


3 






6 




4 


1 J 8 








^ 8 




Y 




^ A 9 


7 3 


A 9 


3 






A 


B 


4k A K 


6 5 


J 


9 


7 5 


4. 2 


A Q 




♦ A 


Q 


2 




Z 




♦ 5 3 





^ 

♦ Q J 10 7 4- 
K 8 

♦ K 10 9 T 6 4 



The winning declaration was three no trumps by B, 
doubled by Y. Z led a spade and B played the queen 

as he saw a successful 



second hand from dummv, 



244 ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 

finesse was the only chance to keep a re-entry in A's 
hand for the diamonds. 

But when that finesse held B made the mistake of 
taking a finesse in diamonds as well, and Z cleared up 
his spades at once, leading the king for fear the ace 
and jack might make separately. After making the 
ace of spades and ace of diamonds B led two rounds 
of clubs. Then, correctly inferring that Z had no 
hearts, he led a small one^ putting Y in. Y led back the 
king and followed with the five, so that B made two 
heart tricks, but was set for 200 points. 

The first finesse in the spade suit was correctly 
played, as it is the only hope for the diamonds. But 
the second finesse, in the diamond suit, was the only 
way to lose the game. Let B put on his ace third hand 
and lead the queen, and the only distribution of the dia- 
monds that can defeat him is for one adversary to hold 
three to the king, so that he can hold ofif and let the 
queen win so as to block the suit. 

As Z cannot do this, his king would be forced on the 
second round and the spade ace would bring in four 
established diamonds, no matter what Z might lead 
after the king of diamonds. These diamond tricks^ with 
the ace and king of clubs and ace of hearts, would have 
given B four by cards, doubled, game and rubber, mak- 
ing a difference of 530 points, all of which can be at- 
tributed to one bad finesse following a very good one. 



XXVI 
GETTING RID OF LOSING CARDS 

It is comparatively easy to count up the winning 
cards in the hand at auction, but few players pay suffi- 
cient attention to counting up the losers. In this re- 
spect the auction player might borrow a useful lesson 
from skat, in which the great art is to figure out the 
losses in order to arrive at a correct estimate of how 
much of them you can stand. When the auction player 
sees that he has two or three losing cards among the 
winners he should be careful to calculate for getting rid 
of them if he cannot stand their loss and still carry out 
his contract. 

In bidding on the hands auction is a game of aces 
and kings and the partner is relied on for average sup- 
port in the matter of high cards. What becomes of the 
little fellows, the losers? In a no-trumper the object 
is to get rid of the losing cards in one suit by discard- 
ing them on the winning cards in another suit, and this 
is the foundation of the philosophy that leads every one 
to play the long suit game. 

Give a player six clubs to the quart major in one 
hand and only two clubs in the other and you provide 
him with an opportunity to get rid of four cards in 
other suits which are not trick winners. These are four 
cards which the adversaries might have won had they 
been able to get into the lead and known what to play. 

All the miraculous escapes that are made in no- 

245 



246 , ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 

trumpers are due to the fact that the adversaries did 
not happen to hit upon the suit in which you had a 
number of losing cards or no protection at all. After 
such a piece of luck one often hears some such remark 
as, ''If they ever led a spade, partner, they could have 
made the whole suit." 

In a no-trumper the path is plain and getting rid of 
losing cards is easy if you can only keep the lead, be- 
cause there is only the one way to get rid of them. 
Even if you have to take a chance occasionally and 
give up the lead the other side may not make the right 
shift, because they are playing to establish long suits, 
just as you are, and they do not care to leave the job 
half finished. 

In the trump declarations this mistake is very rare 
on their part, because they are not playing for any 
long suits but are getting home their aces and kings, 
and the moment they see the high cards in one suit 
are against them they try something else, and they 
usually hit it right. 

But in the trump calls the declarer has a double 
chance to get rid of losing cards. He may either dis- 
card them on the winning cards of a plain suit, as at no 
trumps, or he may trump them. Both methods depend 
for success upon one condition ; the hand that holds the 
losing cards must be short of the suit in which the 
other hand holds winning cards or the hand that is 
going to trump must be out of the suit in which the 
other hand has the losing cards. 

Skill in getting rid of losing cards in trump decla- 
rations is one of the earmarks of the expert and there 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



247 



are very few players who do not miss a number of 
tricks in every rubber simply by not seeing or by not 
providing for some method of getting rid of their dead- 
wood. Sit behind any average player and you will see 
something like this in almost any rubber you happen 
to watch : 









^ 


K 


Q 


J 


6 5 












« A 


Q 














K 


Q 


2 








8 


2 


♦ 10 


8 


6 




4 




^ 9 






Y 




9? A 


3 


♦ 10 


6 


4- 




A 




B 


A K 


9 


2 


8 


3 






A* 




A^ 


A 


J 


10 9 


♦ A 


Q 


J 9 


2 




Z 




♦ K 








9? 


10 


7 














4k J 


8 


7 5 3 















7 


5 











6 4. 



♦ 754-3 



The winning bid was three diamonds, B playing the 
hand. 

Z led the ten of hearts in answer to his partner's 
declarations and B won the trick with the ace. Seeing 
the entire spade between the two hands he immediately 
started to exhaust the trumps by leading two rounds. 
Y won the second round and made two heart tricks and 
then, after a moment's consideration, he concluded to 
make sure of setting the contract before everything else 
by getting home his ace of clubs, giving up the tenace. 
Then he led another heart, after which there was noth- 
ing left but the king of trumps, but A and B were set 
for 50 points. 



248 ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 

Instead of this reverse B could easily have made five 
by cards and the game. He makes two mistakes in 
leading from a trump suit in which he has an ace- 
jack-ten finesse and in overlooking an opportunity to 
get rid of two losing cards. 

Upon winning the first trick with the ace of hearts 
B should have used the spades in the dummy to get 
rid of his losing cards instead of trying to get out the 
trumps. By leading the king of spades and overtaking 
it with the ace he could have got rid of two losing 
hearts on the queen and jack of spades. It would then 
be open to him to continue with a fourth round of 
spades, Z being marked with the seven, or to lead to the 
club king or to try the finesse in trumps. 

The spade being a forcing card is probably the best 
play and Y would have trumped it with the queen, as 
the deuce would be sending a boy to the mill. This 
would have given B a pretty play, as he would over- 
trump with the ace and lead one of his equals, just as 
if he were taking an ace jack ten finesse on a lead from 
dummy, covered second hand. This would force Y's 
king. Now if Y leads another heart, B trumps it and 
leads the six of trumps, putting dummy in with the 
eighty which gives A a trick with the deuce of spades, 
after which the king of clubs must make, as the ace is 
on the right side. The only tricks Y and Z would 
make if the hand were played in this way would be 
the king of trumps and the ace of clubs. 

Here is another hand in which the declarer just 
missed going game by not getting rid of his losing 
cards, although he imagined that he played the whole 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



249 



thing very cleverly in getting the lead from one hand 
to the other in three different suits. 







^ Q 


7 


5 












*Q 


10 


9 6 










9 


7 


6 








10 9 6 4. 


♦ 


K 


9 


5 








^ A 


2 




Y 




^ K 




A 3 






A 




B 


« A 


7 


5 


A 


4- 




* A 




*j 


K 


Q 


3 


♦ Q 


J 10 2 






Z 




^ 8 


6 


4 




^ 


J 


8 


3 










A K 


J 


8 










J 


10 


8 5 2 










« 


A 


7 











4- 2 



Z bid one diamond and A one heart, which every one 
passed, and Y led a diamond to his partner's declara- 
tion. A won the trick with the ace and immediately 
started to make some of his small trumps by ruffing 
out the club suit, which he seemed to think was the 
only play in the hand. 

First he led a small club, won it with the ace and re- 
turned it so that he could trump. Then he put dummy 
in again by leading his small diamond and trumped an- 
other club. By leading a small trump to the king he 
got dummy in a third time and led the fourth round 
of clubs. This Z trumped with the jack and A over- 
trumped him with the ace. A then led trumps so as to 
get two for one and Y put on the queen and led an- 
other diamond so as to get his spade king led up to. B 
led the established club, which Y trumped^ leading a 



250 ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 

small Spade, making his king at the last and saving 
the game. 

The only discussion about this hand after the play 
was the advisability of A overtrumping Z's jack, as 
some thought Z might lead a spade and establish A's 
suit. This made no difference, however, as Y and Z 
must make two tricks either with the jack and queen or 
the queen and seven of trumps. The fault lay in not 
getting rid of the losing cards in A's hand. 

After winning the first trick with the ace of dia- 
monds A should have led a small trump and upon 
dummy's two winning diamonds he should have dis- 
carded his losing club. This would have enabled him 
to hold the command of the club suit, and by leading 
a small club and trumping it he could have got two 
rounds of trumps, exhausting the adversaries. After 
the lead goes to Y's queen of trumps A must make two 
more trump tricks^ the ace of clubs and a spade, no 
matter what Y may do. This wins the game instead 
of stopping at three by cards. 

A fault very common with beginners is too great a 
hurry to get out the trumps to defend a big suit instead 
of stopping to consider the disadvantages of losing the 
lead in case the trumps are not all winners. Take this 
case : 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



2;i 





^ A 






A K 2 






K Q 


J 9 8 7 3 




♦ 


8 5 


2 




^ J lO 9 7 3 


2 


Y 




9? 8 6 4 


♦ 8 7 3 




A 


B 


* J lO 5 4. 


A 




M * 


*^ 


6 5 


♦ A K Q 




Z 




♦ lO 9 7 4 



^ K Q 5 

* A Q 9 6 
lO 4 2 

♦ J 6 3 

A doubled four diamonds and Y redoubled on the 
strength of his partner's no-trumper to help him. 

B led a heart to his partner's declaration and Y won 
the first trick. With two more heart tricks and three 
or four club tricks in sight he at once led trumps. A 
got the lead and took home his three spades im- 
mediately, setting the contract for 200 points. 

This is entirely Y's fault for being too quick with the 
trumps. Upon wanning the first trick he should have 
seen the danger of losing those three tricks in spades 
and have arranged to get rid of them in one hand or 
the other. 

By leading two rounds of clubs, king first, Y should 
have put dummy in and by leading the two winning 
hearts in Z's hand he could have got rid of two of the 
losing spades in Y's. There would then be nothing to 
lose by leading a third round of clubs and discarding 
the last spade upon it, which would have left the ad- 
versaries nothing to make but the ace of trumps, giv- 
ing Y and Z a little slam. 



252 ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 

Instead of losing 200 points on the redoubled con- 
tract Y would have won 468, which is a difference of 
668^ all due to neglecting to get rid of losing cards be- 
fore leading an unestablished trump suit. Six by cards 
at 28 a trick would have been 168, to which would be 
added 100 for fulfilling the contract after being doubled 
and redoubling, and 200 more for the two extra tricks. 

The secret of success in this particular piece of tac- 
tics lies, of course, in keeping the lead, so that the ad- 
versaries shall not be able to shift until you have got 
rid of the suit in which they have the winning cards. 

As a rule, the error lies in leading trumps too soon^ 
but it may be taking a finesse too early in the game, or 
taking one that should not be taken at all. The thing 
for the beginner to do is to stop and examine the hand 
for losing cards, and then to ask himself if there is no 
way to get rid of them before he loses the lead. 



XXVII 
HOLDING UP AN ADVERSE SUIT 

There is one part of the art of bringing in long suits 
at no trumps in auction that very few beginners under- 
stand and that many an expert misses. Many who do 
understand it are afraid to try it, their confidence in the 
ultimate outcome being usually very slight. This part 
of tactics is permitting inferior cards in the hands of 
the adversaries to win the first round or two of the suit 
in order to make the dregs of it for yourself. It goes 
hard with the beginner to let a nine win the trick when 
he holds both ace and king himself. 

The process is technically known as ducking, because 
the player dodges the responsibility of the lead and 
holds the master card of the suit in hand. Its chief use- 
fulness arises upon three occasions: When the hand 
holding a long suit cannot clear it up and still hold the 
lead and has no re-entry in any other suit; when the 
partner will have none of the suit to lead if the lead is 
lost in establishing it; when it is important to retain 
the lead on the third round instead of on the first and 
second only. 

Ducking in itself is a very simple process, as all one 
has to do is to play the smallest card of the suit from 
both hands no matter what the adversaries put up. The 
great difficulty is to judge when the suit should be 
ducked and when the process should be abandoned after 
it is started. One may have to duck a suit only once, 

253 



254 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



or it may be twice or even three times, but the motive 
is the same in all, to retain the command until the suit 
can be run ofif without a break. 

Any player who makes a practice of ducking should 
be able to count the spots on cards pretty well and also 
be able to infer the location of the high cards that are 
out against him unplayed. A rather amusing instance 
of successful ducking was spoiled on the next trick 
through want of a little deliberation in these inferences. 



This was the situation. 













^ K 


Q 


J 


7 5 4- 
















4k K 


Q 


8 2 
















..• 


• • • • 










6 


2 






♦ Q 


J 


7 




3 




^ lO 






Y 




9? A 9 




A J 


9 










A 




B 


* A ID 


5 


4 


A 


K 


7 


6 


4 


2 


*^ 




9 8 


3 




♦ 8 


2 




* 








Z 




♦ AID 


9 






^ 


8 




















* 7 


6 


3 
















OQ 


J 


lO 5 






. 










# 


K 


6 


5 - 


4- 3 







The score was love all on the rubber game. Z started 
with a spade and A bid one in diamonds^ Y said one 
heart when he should have said two, and B one no 
trump. A overcalled with two diamonds to show his 
partner that he had nothing else, Y went two hearts 
and when B went two no trumps Y pushed him up to 
three. 

Z led the eight of hearts and B passed two rounds to 
be sure that Z was out. Z discarded two clubs. B then 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 255 

led the nine of diamonds and Z played the five, never 
dreaming that A would duck the trick with the whole 
heart suit in Y's hand against him, but A put on the 
deuce. Of course B expected Y to- win the trick, but 
what else was there for B to do? If he takes home his 
two diamond tricks his contract is hopeless unless he 
is lucky enough to find the diamonds evenly split. 

When B followed with another diamond Z covered 
with the ten, and the declarer did not stop to think what 
he was doing, but put on the king from dummy instead 
of ducking the suit a second time, which he would have 
done had he taken the time to infer the exact cards 
in Z's hand. It is then too late to lead a small diamond 
and let Z have it, as B has exhausted his power to put 
dummy in, so he made the ace also. 

Realizing too late his error he led the jack of clubs 
through Y, who had echoed in that suit with the eight 
and deuce on the diamonds, and then discarded a spade. 
B won the queen with the ace and led back the four, 
which made his ten good, but the contract was set for 
two tricks, B making the odd only. 

The student of tactics will see that if B reads Z's 
cards more carefully, instead of being carried away by 
his astonishment at winning the first diamond trick 
with the nine, and ducks the second diamond lead 
as well as the first, it does not matter what Z leads. 
Suppose he tries the club in answer to his partner's re- 
verse discard, A plays the jack and the ace kills the 
queen. Another diamond from B and Y must make 
four discards. If he keeps the hearts, B makes the 
ace and the ten of spades, as he will have A lo 9 to Z's 



256 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



king at the end. If Y keeps the three spades or even 
two of them, B will make the ten and five of clubs, 
game and rubber in either case. 

In many cases a player requires a little luck to help 
him out when he is ducking suits in this way, but there 
is always more or less of this in a no-trumper^ as the 
adversaries are never quite sure what they are doing. 
Here is an instance : 









^ 


6 


4- 














A A 


lO 9 8 3 












J 


lO 9 








8 


5 


♦ 


K 


Q lO 




lO 




^ A 






y 


^ J 


2 


*Q 


J 


6 




A 


B 


* 7 


2 




A 


K 


8 


7 


■lX 


3 


2 




♦ J 


6 


5 






z 


# A 


8 


7 4-32 




^ 


K 


Q 9 


7 3 










4 K 


5 4- 












OQ 


6 5 4- 












♦ 


9 











Z bid one heart, and when A called no trumps all 
passed. Y led the heart, B played the ten second hand 
and A let the queen hold, so as to remain tenace with 
ace jack. Z led a small diamond and A put the ace on 
second hand, leading the jack of spades. When Y put 
on the queen B ducked it. 

Y came through with another heart, which gave Z 
the tenace over B, the play of jack, king, ace leaving 
the nine good. Again A led a spade and let Y hold 
the trick with the king, Z discarding the five of clubs. 
This not being of the conventional size for a single card 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



257 



reverse discard and Z having led a small diamond, Y 
come back with the jack of diamonds. This was very 
lucky for A, who snatched the trick and just made his 
contract. 

There is one advantage in ducking suits which is not 
even hinted at in any of the text-books on whist, bridge, 
or auction so far published^ and that is that it compels 
the adversaries to keep a guard on the ducked suit, 
which not infrequently breaks up the rest of the hand 
and brings about some. of those interesting positions 
found in bridge problems. Here is a case in point: 











9? 


J 10 


9 


8 6 


3 














* Q 8 


















10 9 


8 










4. 


2 




♦ 


K 9 






K 


Q 




^ 5 




Y 




Z> A 




41 9 
6 


4- 


3 






A 


B 


A A 

<0 A 


6 
Q 


5 
J 


4 
2 


# A 


J 


6 5 


3 


2 


Z 




♦ 8 


7 








^ 


7 
















« K J 


10 7 3 


2 














K 7 


5 
















♦ 


Q 10 


4. 











B won the declaration at two no trumps^ and it was 
Z's lead, Y having declared hearts. 

Z did not lead the heart, because he knew B must 
have the suit stopped and Z could not lead it again, 
whereas Y might be able to lead clubs more than once 
to Z, so Z started with the club ten. As B let this win, 
Z followed with the seven, his partner being marked 
with the queen at least. B let the queen hold also. 



258 ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 

Y led his top heart, on which B played the ace second 
hand and led the eight of spades. Z and A both ducked 
the trick and Y won it with the nine. Now Y knew 
from his partner's play of the heart seven that Z could 
not hold any more hearts, because if dummy's hearts 
are examined it will be seen that the seven is the lowest 
possible heart in Z's hand, and had he held king or 
queen with it his original opening would have been a 
heart. 

This reasoning leads Y to abandon the hearts and 
try the diamonds. B played the queen and Z won the 
trick with the king, leading another club, on which both 
A and Y discarded hearts. This trick B won, but in 
the actual game B fell down at this stage by leading 
the seven of spades and finessing the jack^ forgetting 
that it was impossible to drop both king and queen 
and also impossible for dummy ever to get in 
again. 

Y came through with another diamond, and although 
B made all the rest of that suit and two hearts he had 
to lose a club trick at the end, which set him for fifty 
points. It looks as if the ace of spades would have 
just saved this contract had he made the trick with it 
when he had the chance, and that was the comment of 
the spectators. 

But that ace was worth a great deal more than one 
trick. It should have won him the game. 

Let B abandon all hope of making the spade suit 
after the first round falls so unfavorably and let him 
count up his resources and he will see that if he keeps 
that spade suit in the dummy, still headed by the ace. 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



259 



it will force the adversaries to guard the suit and the 
hand will go very differently for B. 

Upon getting in with the ace of clubs at the sixth 
trick let him make three diamond tricks and two hearts, 
so that he has a club and a spade left. Z will be in a 
hole because if he unguards the spade A makes two 
tricks in that suit. If Z lets go the club so as to keep 
two spades B's six of clubs is good for a trick. Yet 
there are people who say these discard problems never 
come up in actual play. 

As the foregoing hand shows, it often pays to duck 
the adversaries' suit as well as your own with a view 
to making an extra trick in it eventually, although the 
usual object is to exhaust one opponent only by hold- 
ing up. It is only when ducking is resorted to for 
the specific purpose of making the smallest cards of the 
suit good for tricks that the stratagem properly comes 
under that head. Here is a situation that shows the 
true duck in an adverse suit : 











9? 


8 


6 


3 














A K 


Q 


9 5 












K 


6 


3 






9 


5 


4- 


♦ 


7 


6 


2 






^ K 






Y 




^ Q 


10 7 


A ... 

A 


Q 


• • • 

9 


5 




A 




B 


* A 
2 


8 7 


^ 9 


8 


5 


4- 


3 




Z 




♦ A 


J IG 




^ 


A 


J 


2 














A J 


10 


3 












J 


10 


8 7 4. 












♦ 


K 


Q 









6 4. 2 



26o ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 

Z dealt and bid one diamond which A doubled to 
show the suit stopped twice, as he thought. Y passed, 
as he was satisfied he could kill one of A's stoppers 
with the king, but B went no trumps, Z bid two in dia- 
monds to push him up a bit and B went up, whereupon 
Y took a chance and doubled the two no trumps, 
chiefly because he lay over A with the diamonds and 
thought Z had about seven of them to bid eight tricks 
against a no-trumper. 

Z led his fourth best diamond and Y thoughtlessly 
won with the king, A playing small. Not wishing to 
lead the suit right up to A Q 9, Y started his own suit, 
leading the king of clubs. B let this win. Y followed 
with the queen, and B let that win also. Y now con- 
cluded his partner had the ace^ so he led a little club for 
the third round and B passed it up like the rest. 

Z led the king of spades and B won it with the ace 
and returned the jack, so as to make the ten good, there 
being no hurry about the clubs. Then Z, who imagines 
all this time that his partner held the A K Q and other 
clubs tries to get him in by underplaying the hearts. 

This was a mistake. When you have the contract set 
for certain it is always better to set it, as you may be 
mistaken about the other things. 

B put up the king of hearts second hand from dummy 
and made his two good diamonds, discarding the queen 
and ten of hearts from his own hand. Then he put 
himself in with a spade and made the three established 
clubs, just getting his contract and winning the game at 
the double value of the tricks. 

The student will see that had Y passed up the first 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



261 



trick, by using Foster's eleven rule the play would 
have been different. 

There are double plays in auction as well as in base- 
ball, and it is sometimes necessary for a player to duck 
two suits in the same hand^ his own and his adversary's, 
in order to get all there is in the cards. The oppor- 
tunity to bring off a double play of this kind arises 
more often than one would imagine. Here is a case in 
which the declarer missed a great chance : 



^83 
4k A 8 
5 
♦ J 



2 

7 



6 5 



8 5 




9? Q 10 6 
A J 

Q J 10 7 4 3 
♦ 10 6 3 



Z dealt and bid one diamond and A said two clubs, 
which Y doubled, B pulling his partner out with no 
trumps. Z and A passed and Y went to his partner's 
assistance with two diamonds, his hand being two tricks 
above normal. This forced B to two no trumps. 

Z led the queen of diamonds, Y played the six and B 
made the old mistake of false carding the ace, betraying 
the position of the king, but that did not matter in this 
particular hand. B led the ten of clubs^ won the jack 



262 ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 

with the ace and tried to drop the king and queen to- 
gether by leading a second round. Z discarded a spade. 
Y came back with the nine of diamonds and B held off 
to exhaust Y, who was the player with the best club. 

Z overtook the nine with the ten and led a third 
round, putting B in. B led his last club, simply be- 
cause he did not see anything else to do, Z still discard- 
ing spades. When Y came through with the nine of 
hearts, B finessed, hoping he might force the ace. Z 
won with the queen and made his three established dia- 
monds, A discarding clubs. 

On the first two diamonds, Y discarded a small heart 
and a small spade. B had to keep a guard on the king 
of hearts and discarded two spades. On the third dia- 
mond Y blanked his king of spades, which was useless 
anyway, and B had to discard the spade queen. A 
spade from Z put B in and he lost two heart tricks, so 
that instead of making the eight tricks he contracted 
for, doubled, he was set for 400 points. 

The only part of the hand that B played correctly 
was in passing the second round of diamonds. Had he 
made a double play and ducked his own club suit as 
well he would have won the game with ease. 

When he led the ten of clubs and Z put on the jack 
B should have ducked the suit, letting Z hold the trick. 
Z will go on with his diamonds and B will hold off for 
one round, as he did in the actual game. When he gets 
in on the third diamond all he has to do is to lead an- 
other club and duck it again, which must establish the 
suit. 

What can Y do? If he tries the heart underplay B 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 263 

must follow the old whist maxim of never letting a 
player with an established suit get into the lead with 
anything less than an ace, and put on the king second 
hand. This will hold the trick, and after dummy has 
made four club tricks the tenace in spades will win the 
game and the ace of hearts dies. 



XXVIII 
RISKS TO WIN GAME 

Among the many valuable axioms left by Descha- 
pelles to the whist-playing world, which includes the 
votaries of all such games as whist, bridge, auction and 
royals, none has been more often quoted than his an- 
alysis of playing to the score. To quote from the . 
French of his great disciple, Lahure, this is a summary 
of Deschapelles's ideas : 

1. The aim of every good player is first to save the 
game and then to win it. 

2. Never risk the odd trick in the hope of making 
two by cards. 

3. If two tricks can win the game and you can lose 
one and still save it, go for the game. 

4. Never risk the game in the hope of making an 
extra trick. 

5. If the trick will neither save nor win the odd trick, 
take any risks to make more than that one trick. 

Substitute "contract" for "odd trick" and you have 
some excellent philosophy ready made for the modern 
game of auction. But saving the contract is more im- 
portant than winning the odd trick at whist, because of 
the disparity between the scores at auction, according 
to which side wins. At whist or bridge the tricks were 
of the same value to either side, but in auction a trick 
may be worth anywhere from four to twelve times as 

264 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



26s 



much to the adversaries as it is to the declarer if it is 
the trick that swings the contract. 

Some players are unnecessarily nervous about the 
contract, probably because they do not stop to count up 
the possibilities of the combined hands before they play 
to the first trick. If they were to do this and ascertain 
where any extra tricks are to be made they would soon 
discover that such an examination would disclose still 
further tricks^ which might not only save the contract 
but win the game. 

It is remarkable how easily some players are dis- 
couraged or disconcerted at their first sight of dummy's 
cards. Instead of searching for a possible way to go 
for the game, no matter how great the risk, they prac- 
tically lie down and let the adversaries kick them. 

Here is a hand which shows how a player may miss 
an opportunity to take a desperate chance to save his 
contract even when he saw% or thought he saw, it was 
hopelessly lost. 

^ 10 
* Q 8 










9 


7 


6 


5 4. 3 2 




9 8 7 6 


# 


Q 


6 


4- 




^ A 


3 




Y 




^352, 


♦ A 


9 




A 




B 


* J 10 6 


K 






AA 




Q J 10 


♦ K 


9 5 2 






Z 




♦ A 10 8 




^ 


K 


Q 


4. 








♦ K 


7 


5 4. 3 2 






A 


8 








♦ 


J 


3 







266 ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 

Z played the hand at two no trumps doubled by B. 

A led his fourth best heart and Z won the jack with 
the king. The hopelessness of the diamond suit being 
apparent with four honors against it and no re-entry, Z 
started his clubs, winning the first trick with the queen 
and returning the eight. 

B covered with the jack, as his partner had dropped 
the nine, and Z, reading ace and ten on his left, put 
on his king, so as to throw the lead into A's hand, be- 
cause if he left the lead with B that player would come 
through with a heart and A would make them all. 

A took the club trick and cleared his hearts by lead- 
ing ace and another and then Z cleared his clubs, A 
starting a reverse discard in spades with the nine and 
Y keeping all his spades, so as to protect that suit. 

B suspected the echo and came through Z with a 
small spade, putting A in. On A's three established 
hearts Z discarded a small diamond and two clubs/ so 
as to stop the spade suit. A read the situation and led 
the diamond king, so that Z had to lose a spade trick at 
the end. This left him with only five actual tricks on a 
contract to make eight, doubled, so that he lost 300 
points. 

Z's error In this hand is due to want of courage 
enough to take a chance. If the clubs lie as he thinks 
they do the contract is absolutely hopeless no matter 
how he plays, as A's ten of clubs will be top, even if Z's 
king forces the ace, and this ten of clubs will bring in 
the hearts eventually whether A has a winning spade 
or not. 

If we apply the fifth maxim of Deschapelles, *Tf the 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 267 

trick will neither save nor win the contract, take any 
risk/' it will be clear that Z should have played for A, 
who is marked with the ace of clubs, to have that card 
blank, and to be obliged to win his partner's jack if Z 
ducks it, because no other condition can be imagined 
that will enable Z to get his contract. 

Had Z taken this chance and held up his king of 
clubs it is very unlikely that A would have led a spade, 
and much more probable that he would have thought 
his partner might hold the queen of hearts or would 
have at least gone on with that suit and established it. 
This would have given Z both his contract and the 
game, as he would have made his heart, four estab- 
lished clubs and the ace of diamonds ; two by cards 
doubled worth 40 points, instead of losing 300. 

There are many cases in which a player should weigh 
the chances in favor of two entirely different methods 
of playing a hand, either of which would make his con- 
tract. A little thought given to this part of the game 
will sometimes show that while either of these ways 
will save the contract easily enough, one of them might 
win the game, while the other could not do so. 



XXIX 

ESTABLISHINCx A SUIT 

There is probably nothing more characteristic than 
the way a player develops a hand at auction. While the 
ultimate object of one player may be the same as that 
of another they will approach it in entirely different 
manners, one getting at a suit by direct attack while 
another gets to it only after forcing discards from his 
adversaries. One will trump a suit out, while another 
will prefer to take a finesse. 

To the beginner most of this seems to be matter of 
temperament and it looks to him as if it were a mere 
guess which of two things to do. What he wants is 
some easily applied rule for the solution of the problem, 
so that he shall be able to quote authority for pursuing 
a certain path. Sad to say, one cannot play auction by 
machinery. 

The difficulty arises almost exclusively in no-trump- 
ers and hinges upon the proper selection of the suit to 
play for. Most of the text-books lay down the rule that 
one should always play for the suit that is longest 
between the two hands, the declarer's and dummy's, so 
that if the declarer finds he has five hearts and eight 
clubs, seven diamonds and six spades, the clubs are the 
ones to play for. 

The principle underlying this maxim is that the longer 
the suit between the two hands the less cards in it there 
are for the adversaries to hold and the easier it will be 

268 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 269 

to exhaust them. Given a suit of eight cards, five in one 
hand and three in the other, only jack high, and another 
suit of five cards^ three in one hand, ace king queen 
high, and the eight card suit is the one to play for, as 
the other will play itself. 

If you start by making the winning cards in the short 
suit, you leave the adversaries with winning small cards 
against you. If you get their high cards in your long 
weak suit out of the way, the high cards in your short 
suit will bring the longer suit into play. The extreme 
examples of this, given in Foster's ^'Complete Bridge,'' 
is a suit of nine clubs, only ten high^ and a suit of five 
spades, with all five honors. By leading the clubs every 
time the declarer gets in, he makes them good for four 
tricks. 

But this rule of always playing for the suit that is 
longest between the two hands has its exceptions and 
also its limitations, the usual classification being about 
as follows: 

1. Play for the suit in which you have the greatest 
number^ counting both hands. 

2. When the number is equal, play for the suit in 
which the distribution is more unequal. 

3. When the number and distribution are equal, play 
for the suit which is the more easy to establish. 

4. When all these points are equal^ play for the suit 
which is accompanied by cards of re-entry. 

5. Everything else being equal, play for the suit that 
is shown on the table. 

6. Never go for a suit in which you cannot possibly 
make any extra tricks. 



270 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



One of the most common faults with the beginner, 
next to that of giving up the winning cards in the ad- 
versaries' suit too soon, is in taking home all his own 
winning cards too early in the hand as if he were afraid 
of losing them. He forgets that after he has made all 
those tricks he will have to play the suit in which the 
high cards are against him, so that there is nothing 
gained. The art of good play by the declarer at auc- 
tion is to make tricks with the small cards of his long- 
est suit. 

Here is a typical example of a hand which was badly 
developed by the declarer: 



^ K J 8 6 3 

* K Q 

7 6 4. 

♦ J 7 3 




^ 10 9 2 

* A 6 

J 10 5 3 

♦ K 9 6 4. 



^ A 7 4- 

* J 10 9 4- 3 
A Q 

♦ Q 10 8 

Z dealt and started out with a bid of no trumps, 
which all passed. A led his fourth best heart and Z 
put on the queen from dummy second hand, which was 
about the only thing he got right in the whole play. 

He then started to make his diamonds on the as- 
sumption that the high cards might drop in three 
rounds and make his nine good for a trick. After lead- 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 27I 

ing a small one from dummy's hand and making the 
ace and queen^ he made the same old mistake of trying 
to take a finesse in spades by leading the queen to the 
ace. 

B won the trick with the king and came through 
with a heart, which Z took with the ace — another mis- 
take. Z then led the ten of spades, which A covered 
with the jack on the chance that his partner had the 
nine guarded and Y won the trick with the ace. Of 
course the king of diamonds was the next lead, but it 
failed to drop the jack and ten, so that Z suddenly 
realized that all four suits were established against him 
and he could not make another trick in anything. As 
he played the hand he was set for 50 points. 

By applying the very first of the rules for choosing 
the suit to play for at no trumps it will be found that 
as soon as the queen of hearts held the first trick and 
the adversary's suit is eliminated from consideration 
there are nine clubs, six diamonds and six spades be- 
tween the two hands ; therefore the suit to play for is 
clubs and Y should lead one at once, leaving the six- 
card suits alone. 

B would pass and A would continue the heart suit 
with one of his two equals, king and jack. Instead of 
giving up the command of his adversary's suit at once 
Z's play would be to hold off until B was exhausted, 
so that B should not be able to lead hearts. This Z 
failed to do in the actual game. 

The next heart Z would have to win, Y discarding a 
spade. By leading the jack of clubs B would be forced 
into the lead and no mattter what he did Y and Z must 



2^2 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



make three clubs, three diamonds and the ace queen 
of spades if B tries leading spades through Z. 

The best thing B can do is to lead the diamond. After 
Z has made his ace and queen he can lead the four of 
clubs and put Y in. After Y makes his king of dia- 
monds he returns the club and puts Z in and Y makes 
the ace of spades at the end, three by cards and the 
game, instead of losing a simple contract to make the 
odd trick. As already pointed out, if B tries the spade 
instead of the diamond Y and Z make four by cards. 

When two suits are equally long but one is more 
easily established than the other the question of re- 
entry may have to settle between them. Here is a hand 
in which the declarer very cleverly took advantage of 
the situation by sitting on the fence until he saw which 
was the better way to jump, furnishing a rather dis- 
agreeable surprise for his adversary at the same time. 









Z 


' 9 


5 


4- 












* Q 


J 


lO 


7 6 5 










Q 


lO 










J 


lO 3 


# 


J 


2 




9? 8 7 




^ Q 


2 




Y 




6 


* 9 


8 


3 




A 




R 


* A 2 




J 


9 






x^ 




£J 


K 7 


5 


♦ 9 


4- 


3 






Z 




♦ K Q 


7 




^ 


A 


K 












A K 


4- 














A 


8 


6 


4-3 2 










4 


A 


lO 


8 







6 5 



At the score of love all, rubber game, Z dealt and 
declared one no trump, which every one passed. A led 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 273 

the queen of hearts, B echoed with the seven and Z 
won the trick with the king, avoiding the common error 
of false carding the ace. 

The clubs and diamonds are equal in number and in 
distribution, but while the clubs have the advantage of 
being easily cleared for the loss of only one trick, the 
re-entry is very doubtful if the ace of clubs is held up, 
which it almost certainly would be if Z led the king. 

Z saw that he could lose nothing by trying to get the 
ace out of the way, because if it fell on the king the club 
suit alone would win the game. If the ace were held 
up the next thing would be to see if the queen of dia- 
monds could be made into a re-entry by finessing the 
ten. 

With this definite plan in hand Z led the king of 
clubs, and^ as he had foreseen, the ace was held up, al- 
though he did not know who had it. Z then pro- 
ceeded to the next part of his plan, leading a small dia- 
mond and finessing against the jack by playing the ten, 
hoping it would force the king. This finesse forced B 
to do a little thinking. 

Had the clubs been established, B would have been 
obliged to win the diamond trick, because to refuse to 
do so would be to leave Y in the lead with a long suit 
of clubs, all good for tricks. But as the clubs were 
not established, B was not afraid of them^ although he 
saw the object of the diamond finesse was to make the 
queen good for re-entry. By holding up the king of 
diamonds and letting Y go ahead and clear his clubs, 
B has Y's hand effectually blocked. 

But B forgot about Z's hand and it gave him a nasty 



274 ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 

jolt. As soon as the ten of diamonds held the trick, Z 
saw that the club suit was a dead duck, so he abandoned 
it and came right back through B with the queen of 
diamonds. Whether B puts on the king or passes does 
not matter, because if he allows the queen to win, Z can 
get in with the ace of spades. 

Six diamond tricks, two hearts and the spade ace 
won the game and rubber^ and the beauty of it was that 
there was no way out of it for A and B. 

When a suit is only one card longer in one hand than 
another suit and the longer suit will take an extra 
round to clear it, it does not matter much which suit is 
selected unless the determining factor is the number of 
stoppers you still hold in the adversaries' suit. 

Suppose you hold nine of one suit, distributed five 
and four, w^ith two winning cards against it, and an- 
other suit distributed four and four with only one win- 
ing card against it and you have only one stopper in the 
adversaries' suit. It is easy to see that if you start the 
suit that will take two rounds' to clear, the other side 
will get their suit going first, whereas if you develop 
your shorter suit first, you will make it all before they 
get in with theirs. 

In all such cases it is a question of how much you 
are afraid of their suit and how many discards you can 
afford. Sometimes it may be better to take what you 
have while you are sure of it; while at other times it 
may pay to take a chance and wait. 

The further along in the hand the play comes^ the 
more interesting it usually is, especially when it comes 
down to getting tricks out of the dregs of the shorter 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



275 



suits when the long suit has all been made. Here is a 
case : 



^ J 

* 8 



10 
6 



9? 8 5 

* 5 4 2 
A 10 8 

♦ 10 3 



5 4< 






K 


Q J 


♦ A 


8 5 ^ 






Y 


3 


A 


B 
Z 



^ K Q 9 4- 

♦ K J 9 7 
9 6 

♦ K Q 7 



^ A 7 6 2 

* A Q 10 3 
7 2 

♦ J 9 6 

Z plays the hand at two no trumps. 

A led his fourth best diamond and Y won it with the 
jack. There is nothing in an ace- jack-ten finesse in a 
short suit, and the longest suit between the two hands 
being the spades Z led a small one from dummy, in- 
tending to duck it, but B put on the queen and re- 
turned the diamond. 

A could count the diamonds and having no re-entry 
thought it best to make his ace while he had the chance. 
Then he switched to his partner's suit, leading his top 
heart. Y put on the ten, B played the queen and Z let 
him have it so as to get the tenace over him with ace 
and jack. 

This drove B to the clubs, leading the nine to cover 
dummy's eight. Z inferred that A had nothing as good 
as a king or he would have cleared his diamonds^ so he 
finessed the club queen. Then he led the jack of spades 
and ducked it so as to put B in difficulties again. 



2^6 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



B led one of his two equals in clubs and Z won it 
with the ace and led his last spade, which Y won with 
the ace. Y made the rest of the spades, Z counting the 
discards carefully. Then Y led the king of diamonds, 
working out the dregs of the suits just as one does in a 
bridge problem. 

What is B to discard? Z had left in his hand the 
ace and seven of hearts and the ten of clubs. B holds 
the best club and the king of hearts guarded. Three 
by cards and the game for Z, no matter what B does. 

Of course the adversaries sometimes have something 
to say about the declarer making his long suits in this 
way and there are many opportunities for the defence 
to block suits and to get tricks in their own if they can 
count cards well. Take this case : 









9? lO 8 


3 












♦ 4< 2 














6 3 










7 


2 


# 


J 9 


8 


6 5 2 
^ A K 




^ 9 




Y 




6 5 


4k J 

A 


6 
J 


5 

7 


5 


A 


B 


* K lO 
lO 9 


7 3 
2 


♦ K 


7 


4- 




Z 




♦ lO 






^ 


Q J 












* A Q 


9 


8 










K Q 


8 


4- 










♦ 


A Q 


3 







Z bid no trumps and all passed, B not feeling equal 
to two in hearts. A opened with his smallest diamond 
and Z false carded the king, which did not deceive A 
for a minute, because he knew B would not play the 



/ 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 2// 

nine if he held the eight nor the ten if he held the 
queen. The value of this inference will be seen 
presently. 

Z started out with the spades, but A held off until 
the third round, B discarding a heart and a club. A 
led a heart, as B discards from strength, and B won it 
with the king. When B led the ten of diamonds Z 
covered with the imperfect fourchette, the nine being 
played, and A won with the ace. Another heart from 
A, to see if B has a small diamond to lead through, and 
A makes his major tenace over Z. 

A cannot lead another heart, as that would let in all 
the spades, dummy's ten being high, so he tries the jack 
of clubs. Z cannot tell how the clubs lie, and as B 
may have four left he lets the jack win, knowing A 
must lead another club. This A does, killing his part- 
ner's king, but they set the contract for one trick by 
the play in the diamond and heart suits and holding up 
the command of spades until Z had no more to lead. 



XXX 

RE-ENTRY CARDS 

As every good player knows to his sorrow there are 
many good suits which have to go into the discard 
simply because there is no way of bringing them into 
play. All the science of finesse, of unblocking and of 
ducking goes for nothing if the hand that holds the 
long end of the suit cannot get into the lead and 
make it. 

The foresight which is necessary in order to make 
certain cards good for re-entry makes this part of the 
game particularly difficult for the beginner. Among 
the average run of players there are very few who 
can plan a hand far enough ahead to see how two en- 
tirely dififerent ends must be reached, to clear up or 
establish a suit and to bring it into play. 

Not infrequently the position will present a double 
problem, because there may be a question as to the 
possibility of establishing the suit at all and of how to 
do it. Unless the suit can be established there is no use 
for re-entries to bring it in. They may be needed to 
place the lead for a finesse, which may not gain any- 
thing after all^ but their chief use is to bring in long 
suits, suits that are essential to the fulfilment of the 
contract or the winning of the game. 

The interesting hands to play are those in which the 
double problem presents itself; the strategy in clearing 
up the suit and the tactics employed in making a re- 

278 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



279 



entry that will bring it in after it is established. Here 
is a hand that illustrates in its simplest form the man- 
ner in which such situations should be handled : 



^ J 10 

♦ K Q 10 

J 9 7 2 

♦ A Q 8 6 



^ A 


K Q 1 


9 8 2 




♦ A 


J 4. 




5 






# 


9 


4* 2 










Y 


^74. 






A 


B 


4k 8 6 
K Q 


10 






Z 


♦ 10 7 


3 



^653 

♦ 97532 
A 8 

♦ K J 5 



6 4-3 



Y plays the hand at four hearts, doubled by A. 

When B led the king of diamonds Y looked over the 
situation. In order to make his contract he sees that he 
must win wuth all his trumps and either win three club 
tricks or two clubs and a spade. The spade is very 
problematical and the clubs depend upon the position 
of the king, queen, ten and how long the adversaries 
can hold up the command. The first thing then is to find 
out how the clubs lie, at the same time keeping in mind 
the necessity for a re-entry in Z's hand, as his ace of 
diamonds is gone on the first trick. 

A small club from Z brought the queen from A and 
Y let him hold it, because if the cards lie well Y mav 
clear up all the clubs in two leads later. If he takes the 
queen he can get only one lead. 



28o ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 

A returns the jack of his partner's suit and Y trumps 
it with the eight, his eye being still on the possible re- 
entry. The ace of clubs dropped the ten and left the 
king alone against the suit. Now comes the point of 
the hand, which is to find out if it is worth, while to 
establish the club suit or if it would be better to try a 
finesse in the spades. If both adversaries follow suit to 
two rounds of trumps Z's six is a re-entry for the 
clubs, while the spade trick is doubtful. 

When two rounds of trumps drop them all from the 
A and B hands Y leads the jack of clubs, putting A in. 
Now it does not matter what A leads, because he must 
either come up to the spade king or let Y ruff another 
diamond and lead the deuce of trumps to Z. Having 
tenace in spades, A avoided that suit and led the dia- 
mond. Y trumped with the nine^ put Z in and dis- 
carded two losing spades on the two winning clubs, 
losing a spade trick at the end but making his contract 
at double rates and winning the game. 

In this hand the re-entrv was there from the start, 
all it needed was uncovering. But like the sculptor 
who told an admiring friend that the lamb he was at 
work on was there all the time and he was only taking 
the marble from around it, the player must have the 
imagination to see these re-entry cards and get the 
other cards from around them. Y kept the small trump 
in his own hand so as to be able to put Z in at the right 
time, ruffing with the higher ones. 

But there are many hands in which re-entries must 
be made by getting the high cards from around them 
when those high cards are in the hands of the adver- 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



281 



saries, which is not as easy as getting them out of your 
own hand. Here is a very good example of making re- 
entries in the suit itself, which is given by Elwell: 







^ 


K 


10 


9 


8 6 


5 








♦ 10 


6 














8 


6 


4 










7 


> 


5 


4« 




9? ... 






^ Q J 


2 




Y 




• • • 


A 5 4- 


2 




A 




B 


♦ A 


J 


9 7 3 


K 10 


5 




A A 




LJ 


OQ 


J 


3 


4k 9 8 


3 






Z 




♦ K 


J 


10 6 2 




^ 


A 


4- 


3 








* K 


Q 


8 












A 


9 


7 


2 










4k 


A 


Q 


7 









Z dealt and bid no trumps. A led his fourth best 
hearty dummy played the five and B started a reverse 
discard with the seven of clubs. 

Look over the two hands and there is nothing much 
in them, after all. Five tricks are sure, and two more 
are possible if the ace of clubs lies to the right and the 
spade finesse holds. But Z wants to win the game. 

This can be done only by making up the heart suit, 
for which there is no re-entry in Y's hand, and the 
only way to clear that suit and also to bring it in is to 
tempt the adversaries to make a mistake. If they are 
too sharp for you the suit cannot be made nor the game 
won, but it is always w^orth trying. 

Z overtakes his dummy's five of hearts with the ace 
and at once returns the suit. If A makes the mistake 



282 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



of covering with one of his two equals he is lost, as Z 
can let him hold the trick and upon getting in on any- 
thing A may lead can come through him again with 
his remaining heart, giving Y the tenace over A, with 
king and ten over queen and seven. Of course, if A is 
a shrewd player and stops to figure out the situation he 
will play small, and then Z will be unable to clear the 
suit, no matter what he does. 

But it is not ahvays possible to catch the opponents 
in as difficult a situation as this^ and the declarer some- 
times has a hard time establishing his re-entries when 
the object of his play is comparatively transparent. 
Take this case : 

^ J 8 7 5 

Jk 

Q J 8 7 6 
# J lO 5 2 



^ K 

Jk K 

A 

♦ 7 



9 
9 
5 
4 



2 
8 
2 




Q 8 3 

Z bid no trumps, every one passed and A led the six 
of clubs. Upon looking over his resources carefully Z 
made up his mind to keep all his spades for re-entry 
purposes and to discard a heart, winning the jack of 
clubs with the queen on the first trick. 

Z then led the king of diamonds, knowing very well 
that they would not put the ace on it, as they could see 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 283 

it would clear up the suit for the dummy at once. Hav- 
ing no more diamonds to lead, it becomes necessary to 
have two re-entries in Y's hand, one to clear the dia- 
mond suit and one to bring it in. This is easy if the 
king of spades is gotten out of the way, so Z leads the 
ace and then the queen, so as to make dummy's jack 
and ten both good for re-entry cards. 

This time it is B that holds off, refusing to win the 
queen of spades. Seeing that the spade suit will not 
accomplish his purpose, Z gives up that part of his 
scheme and leads a small heart, because if he can put 
dummy in with the jack one spade will be enough. If 
he cannot the diamond suit is dead. 

A could have spoiled Z's game by putting on the king 
and leading another heart, but of course he does not 
know that Z would be obliged to win it and he does 
not like the idea of taking this trick and leading a club 
right up to the ace and ten, which are marked in Z's 
hand. 

The moment the jack of hearts holds the trick Y 
leads the queen of diamonds and Z discards a club. A 
can count his partner's diamonds and must win this 
trick to make the ten good. After playing the ace he 
leads the five right back, so as to get a club from B. 

Y does not attempt to win this trick, but lets it go to 
B, because if Y played a high diamond and then led 
another round to clear the suit it would force Z to a 
very awkward discard and show B to lead a heart. 
This is a point which the beginner too often overlooks, 
forcing himself to inconvenient discards. 

B came through the ace and ten of clubs in Z's hand 



284 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



as A hoped he would^ but Z let the king win. A led a 
third round to get the lone ace out of his way and then 
Z led the spade, putting B in. When B led the heart Z 
put the ace right on, led the fourth spade and made 
his jack of diamonds, which gave him just three by 
cards and the game. 

Two re-entries are often wanted, sometimes for one 
purpose and sometimes for another. When two such 
cards are necessary to the success of the carrying out 
of the play of the hand as planned it is clearly useless 
to play the hand on those lines unless the two re-entries 
are there to carry the scheme through. When possible 
it is better to find out about these re-entries first, but 
there are many cases in which they are taken for 
granted if the cards are distributed in certain ways. 

For instance it is almost an axiom that if you have 
four cards of any suit in each hand, even if there is 
only one high card on one side of the table, you can 
always re-enter twice with the weaker hand. Here is 
a practical example of this important principle : 

5 4 3 2 



^ 8 

* 5 
8 

♦ Q 



7 
2 



7 4-2 



^ J 


9 


Y 




9? K 


6 


A K 


Q 10 7 4- 


A 


B 


* 9 


8 6 


A 


5 4-3 






OQ 


J 10 


♦ J 


6 


z 




♦ 9 


8 3 



9 6 



^ A Q 10 

* A J 3 
K 7 2 

♦ A K 10 5 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 285 

This hand is played by Z^ who finally bids two no 
trumps. 

A leads the club king, B plays the eight and Z holds 
ofif, so as to retain the tenace, ace jack, over the queen, 
which is better than playing the ace at once, as B 
might get in and lead through the jack. A continues 
with the seven, B plays the nine and Z wins with the 
jack. 

There is not enough in the spade suit to go game^ so 
Z turns his attention to the hearts. The first possibility 
is a finesse and the second is that the suit may be all 
brought in if the finesse holds. But this requires two 
re-entries in Y's hand, as Z has the heart suit blocked 
even if the finesse wins. The spade suit holds the pos- 
sibility of this double re-entry, as there are four in each 
hand. 

Z leads the ten of spades, not the five, and wins it 
with the queen, no matter what A plays. A small heart 
from Y and Z finesses the queen, leads the ace and 
drops the king and jack ; then he makes the ten, so as to 
be out of the way. By leading ace and king of spades 
Z now makes Y's seven a re-entry, Z having kept the 
five, so as soon as he finds the spades all fall on his ace 
and king he makes his ace of clubs while he is in the 
lead — another thing beginners too often overlook — puts 
dummy in with the spade and runs ofif the hearts, mak- 
ing a little slam. 

The beginner should be careful to look over the hand 
for the possibility of wanting re-entries before he plays 
to the first trick. Sometimes it is then or never. Take 
this case: 



286 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 







^ A K 3 










♦ Q lO 4- 3 2 










A Q 










♦ A J 6 




9 




^752 




Y 


9? J 


8 6 4 


4 A K 






A R 


^ J 


9 


7 5 


9 8 5 






XX tJ 


K 


3 




♦ K lO 9 


5 


3 


z 


♦ Q 


8 






^ 


Q lO 




" 






« 


8 6 









J lO 7 6 4 2 

♦ 74-2 



Y plays the hand on a winning bid of two no trumps. 
B led his fourth best heart, Z played the ten, A the five, 
and Y carelessly dropped the three and lost the odd 
trick and his contract, because B eventually cleared his 
hearts, leading them every time A or B got in, made 
the jack of clubs, the king of diamonds and the queen 
of spades, while his partner made two club tricks. 

Had Y studied the situation a moment before playing 
to the first trick he w^ould have seen that all the dia- 
monds but the king could be made if dummy had one 
re-entry. Y could have made this re-entry by overtak- 
ing his own trick with the king of hearts, keeping the 
three to lead to Z's queen. 

There is no use trying to get any finesse in the dia- 
monds, the thing being to clear them at once, before Z 
has that re-entry heart taken out of his hand, so Y 
should lead the ace and queen, which would have forced 
the king. 

A and B might lead anything they liked after that. 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 287 

If they shifted to clubs they would simply make the 
queen in Y's hand good for an extra trick. If they led 
spades Y holds off with his tenace and makes both ace 
and jack. If B goes right along with his own suit, 
hoping that Y cannot let Z's queen hold, as he did not 
let the ten hold,Z makes all the diamonds and all that Y 
needs is his ace of spades and ace of hearts to go game. 



XXXI 

THE ECHO 

Among the many conventions which are generally 
known and talked of but little understood in the refine- 
ment of their use there are two that stand out promi- 
nently from the rest. These are the down-and-out 
echo against a trump declaration and the eleven rule 
at no trumps. 

Almost any auction player will tell you that he knows 
the eleven rule and a great many ladies profess to know 
it, but not one person in a hundred understands the re- 
finements of its application. The same is true, although 
in less degree, of the down-and-out echo. 

The average player has a general idea that following 
suit with an unnecessarily high card means that when 
the lower card falls you have no more of the suit and 
are ready to ruff it on the third round; but the nega- 
tive inferences from the absence of the echo and the 
positive inferences as to the distribution of the suit, 
even before the echo can be completed, seem to be 
quite beyond any but the most expert. 

The straight rule upon which all inferences from it 
are based is that if you are playing against a declared 
trump and make no attempt to win the trick while fol- 
lowing suit you should play the higher of only two 
cards^ provided neither is as high as the jack. Some 
authorities restrict the use of the echo to the partner's 
leads and one or two restrict it even further, advising 

288 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 2S9 

the player to reserve it for the king lead, because when 
a player leads a king he shows either ace or queen or 
both. Whichever it may be he will win the second 
round of the suit, if not the first, and will be in the 
lead when the echo is completed. 

Suppose the player on your left is the declarer of a 
trump suit, let us say hearts, and your partner leads the 
king of spades. If you hold the six and four only you 
should play the six to the first lead and drop the 
smaller card on the second round. This will complete 
the echo. 

If either of your two cards is as high as the jack the 
echo is not only unnecessary but is misleading. Hold- 
ing jack and four^ if you play the four first, when your 
jack falls your partner will know that you have the 
queen or no more and can win the third round. But if 
you play the jack first he w^ill read you for the queen 
or no more and may lead a small card so as to let you 
trump or make your queen, only to find that you still 
have a small card. 

Simple as the rule seems, it will be found in practice 
that the uses of the echo are many and various and 
some of the prettiest plays in auction are based on cor- 
rect inference from the presence or absence of the 
down and out echo. Here is a good example of what 
might be called a straight echo, with no frills to it : 



290 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 







^ 


J 


4. 


3 








X 9 


7 


6 3 






9 


4- 






9 


♦ A 


K 


8 


5 


<^ K Q 10 


6 




Y 




( 


A 10 7 






A 




B 


i 


♦ Q 10 9 


4- 






Z 








^ A 


8 


2 








« A 


Q 


J 10 






K 


Q 


8 2 


• 




^ 


6 


3 







9? 7 5 

* 9 5 4. 2 
J 6 5 3 

♦ J 7 2 



The score being love all, Z started with one no trump 
and A called two hearts, which Y and B passed. Z 
doubled the two hearts. Y opened his hand on general 
principles, as his partner had not named any suit, lead- 
ing the king of spades and following with the ace, 
which denied the queen. 

On these two tricks Z echoed by playing first the 
six and then the trey of spades, showing that he was 
out of that suit and could rufif a third round if Y 
thought it advisable. Y led a third spade and Z trumped 
it, leading the king of diamonds from his own hand. 

A won the diamond with the ace and Y dropped the 
nine. When A led the trump, Z won it and led his 
established queen of diamonds, on which Y's four fell, 
completing an echo in that suit. Another diamond 
from Z is trumped by Y and another spade from Y is 
ruffed by Z. The fourth round of diamonds is either 
overtrumped by Y, or Y's jack becomes the best trump 
and good for a trick, after which the king of clubs falls 
to the ace and the contract is set for 400 points. 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



291 



This is the echo in its simplest form and its meaning 
is unequivocal, but some writers recommend extending 
it to cover any method of winning the third round, so 
that they echo with three to the queen as well as with 
only two of the suit. This is not the simon pure echo, 
because the player is not always out of the suit and one 
of its chief uses, the negative inferences from it, is 
lost, because there is no relying on inferences based on 
a play that may mean either of two distinct things, no 
more of the suit or three to the queen. 

While it is very seldom that this makes any differ- 
ence in the result of the play it may, and every now 
and then it puts the partner in doubt and makes it hard 
for him to choose the safe course, as in the following 
hand : 











^ 


J 9 


4. 












A 9 5 


3 










Q 9 


3 




6 






♦ 


9 8 


6 


3 


^ 8 




Y 




^ A K 


A 8 


7 


4 






A 


n 


A K J 


J 


7 


4« 






<JL 


XJ 


8 6 


^ A 


Q 


J 


10 


2 


z 




♦ K 




^ 


10 5 














* A Q 


10 










OAK 


10 5 2 










♦ 


7 5 


4« 





Q 7 3 2 
6 2 



The winning bid is two hearts, and B plays the hand. 

Z led the king of diamonds and followed with the 
ace, Y playing the nine and trey. Z supposed that Y 
was playing the regulation down-and-out echo and 



2Q2 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



could ruif the third round, so he led another diamond, 
and it cost him five by cards and the rubber. 

B trumped the third diamond, drew all the trumps 
and led the king of spades, overtaking it with the ace, 
and on dummy's five good spades he discarded all his 
clubs, winning five by cards. 

Had Z known that Y had still another diamond and 
that B would ruff he would have shifted and led a 
spade through dummy's strength on the chance that his 
partner had the king and could exhaust B. Let this be 
the play and even if dummy puts on the ace and gives 
B two discards Z must make two clubs at the end or a 
club and a trump, either of which would save the game. 

One of the beauties of the down-and-out echo is in 
the inferences which spring from it, and the skill with 
which some persons can place the suit with the assist- 
ance of this echo is astonishing to one who has not 
studied its possibilities. Here is a good example of 
how it works out sometimes : 









^ ID 


8 


6 










A 3 












A 


K 


lO 8 2 




J 


7 


♦ 


Q 


7 


5 


2 


^ A Q 


2 




Y 




^ K 5 


* 8 7 








A 




B 


♦ Q J ID 4- 


9 7 








A A 




A^ 


Q J 6 5 


♦ lO 9 


8 


4- 






Z 




♦ A 6 




^ 


9 


4- 


3 










♦ A 


K 


9 6 5 2 








3 












♦ 


K 


J 


3 





ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 293 

The score was 24 to o in favor of A and B on the 
rubber game. Z dealt and called two clubs, and A went 
two in hearts. Y would not risk three in diamonds, 
and B, with his potential no-trumper, thought a heart 
w^ould be the safer road to the game, so he passed, and 
it was Y's lead. 

Y led the king of diamonds to show the sure trick in 
that suit before leading his singleton club. The moment 
the trey fell from Z's hand Y knew Z had no more, in 
spite of A's false carding the nine, because if Z had 
held the trey and seven he would have played the seven 
first. Seeing this, Y held up the command of the dia- 
monds and led a little one for Z to trump. 

Z in his turn led the king of clubs and although A 
false carded on this suit also Z knew that Y had no 
more, so he led a small one for the second round and 
let Y ruff it. In this manner both Y and Z kept com- 
mand of dummy's long suits. 

When Y led a third diamond A overtrumped Z, led 
the ace and another trump and then led the ace and an- 
other spade from B's hand. Z won the second spade 
with the jack, made his king and then forced with the 
clubs, so that A had to lose a spade trick in the end, as 
Z had his hand counted down for four spades and the 
contract was set for two tricks. 

Let Y make his two winning diamonds and Z his two 
winning clubs and A will get three by cards on the 
hand, because A will shut off the ruff in the third round 
of either suit and the ace of spades will bring in three 
winning cards in B's hand. 

One form of the down-and-out echo with which 



294 ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 

some players are not familiar is in winning tricks with 
higher cards than necessary. If a player wins the first 
trick with the ace and returns the king it should mean 
no more. In the same way winning with the king and 
returning the queen ought to show the player was out 
of the suit, but unfortunately so many players win 
tricks with any card that they think will do it and so 
many have that old ''third hand high" maxim still in 
their heads that it is hard to depend on any such in- 
ferences. 

The lead of an ace before a king is always a sign 
that the leader is out of the suit if he be a good player 
and has been a conventional lead since the early days 
of straight whist. 

Whether this down-and-out echo is used as a straight 
invitation to a ruff or as a means toward the location 
of the cards in a suit it is unquestionably a strong 
weapon in the hands of a good player. 



\ 



XXXII 
THE RULE OF ELEVEN 

There has alwavs been more or less difference of 
opinion as to the value of the eleven rule in a game like 
auction, where there is an exposed hand. When bridge 
first came out Fisher Ames, who used to write contro- 
versial articles on whist, took the ground that the 
eleven rule was of more value to the dealer than to his 
adversaries, because he could take full advantage of it 
in his defensive second hand play. 

But as the eleven rule is based on the lead of the 
fourth best card, this argument is equally true of any 
of the conventional leads. The dealer knows that the 
ID is led from K J lo and can place the A and Q. He 
knows that in a no-trumper the K is led only from 
three honors, K Q J or K Q lo, so he can place the 
A J or the A lo if a small card follows the king led. 
The same is true of every conventional high card lead. 

It all comes down to the old story, the adversaries 
giving each other information in a language that is per- 
fectly understood by the declarer ; to which there is 
always the old answer, that if the adversaries did not 
give each other any such information they would both 
be completely in the dark, while the declarer would al- 
ways know that what was not in his own hand or the 
dummy's was against him. 

Many widely varying and inaccurate accounts have 
been written about the origin of the eleven rule, and 

295 ; 



2g6 ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 

various persons have been put forward as its inventor. 
As the facts are frequently asked for and as there is no 
convention so often referred to at the card table as this 
eleven rule, it may not be out of place to give its history 
here. 

In the early '80s a little whist coterie met at one an- 
other's houses in Baltimore to study the scientific 
aspects of the game. One of these was E. C. Howell, 
now widely known as the inventor of the Howell Pair 
System, used at all the big tournaments. Another was 
Thomas Whelan, who has since played on many a 
championship team in the matches for the A. W. L. tro- 
phies. A third was R. F. Foster, the author of this 
work. And the fourth man in the rubber was usually 
one of three doctors^ Wanstall, Conlin or Walls. 

These players were so impressed by the value of 
Whelan's technical knowledge of the leads and second 
hand plays that they all fell to studying them. Howell 
spent a great deal of time in trying out inferences, to 
see how many cards could be placed for the last five 
tricks, a system which was afterward adopted by the 
American Whist Club of Boston as a training exercise 
for their players and which w^as a large factor in their 
success in winning matches against all comers. 

Foster turned his attention to the small card leads 
and the inferences from them, and upon the wall of 
his room was hung a long strip of paper upon which 
was pasted all the combinations of cards that could be 
held against a player who led any card that was not 
one of the regular high card combinations. 

As all the high card leads were started with the 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 297 

A K Q J or 10, any smaller card followed Drayson's 
rule of the penultimate or antepenultimate, afterward 
christened by Trist ''the fourth-best." The first infer- 
ence from this invariable lead of the fourth-best was 
that the deuce always indicated exactly four in suit in 
the leader's hand and no combination from which a 
high card would be led. Higher cards limited the num- 
ber led from in less degree, but it was when the inter- 
mediate cards were reached that the eleven rule de- 
veloped, and many authorities to-day advise one not to 
bother with it on any card below a seven. 

When the higher cards that must be out against the 
leader w^ere posted on the wall opposite the leads of 
such cards as the 7, 8 and 9, the high cards in the lead- 
er's hand v/ere limited, or they would come under the 
regular high card leads. For instance, here are a few 
of the suits from which the eight would invariably be 
led as a fourth best by any good player : 

8 led from Q J 9 8 4, leaves A K 10. 
8 led from K J 9 8 5, leaves A Q 10. 
8 led from A J 9 8 6, leaves K Q 10. 
8 led from A 10 9 8 3, leaves K Q J. 
8 led from K 10 9 8 2, leaves A Q J. 
8 led from Q 10 9 8 5, leaves A K J. 

This process was worked out for every possible lead 
of a 7^ 6 and 5, and the thing that immediately im- 
pressed Foster was that the number of cards higher 
than the one led, not in the leader's hand, was always 
the same. 

When an 8 was led there were always three higher 



298 ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 

cards against the leader ; when a 7 was led there were 
always four and when a 6 was led, always five. In 
other words the difference between the number of spots 
on the card led and the number of cards higher than 
the one led, which were not in the leader's hand, was 
always the difference between the number of spots on 
the card led and 11. 

The reason that this must be invariably true can be 
proved by assuming that there are no high card leads 
and that the fourth best must be led from all suits. If 
we number the cards on up beyond the 10 we get 11 for 
the jack, 12 for the queen, 13 for the king and 14 for 
the ace, in this order : 

No. 14 13 12 II 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 
Card A K O J 10 98765432 

If the leader held all the highest cards in the suit and 
led his fourth best it would be the jack, or No. 11, and 
as 1 1 from 1 1 leaves nothing, there are no higher cards 
than the jack out against him. Take away any two 
of the honors and his fourth best will be the 9, which 
from II leaves 2, the number of the honors you have 
taken away, and so on for as many cards as you like 
to take from the leader's hand. 

From this was evolved the rule, 'Tf the spots on the 
card led are deducted from eleven it will always show 
how many cards higher than the one led are out against 
the leader.*' 

When the rule was explained to ''Cavendish," card 
editor of the London Field, he saw its value at once, 
and when it was finally given to the public in "Foster's 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



299 



Whist Manual/' in 1890, it was adopted by whist play- 
ers all over the world, and is now given in every text- 
book on whist, bridge or auction, as one of the standard 
conventions of the game. 

When the declarer is alive to the importance of this 
rule and his adversaries are not, he naturally gets the 
best of it, but he must always play on the assumption 
that they know as much as he does. Take this hand : 









^ 


J 


8 


6 


3 












« 9 


8 


4 














9 


8 












Q 


9 7 


♦ 10 


9 


3 


2 

^ A 


10 




^ K 


2 




Y 




4- 


♦ 10 


5 


3 




A 




B 


♦ K 


2 




10 


4- 


2 




H A 




m^ 


K 


Q 


J 


♦ Q 


4- 








Z 




♦ J 


8 


7 




^ 


5 














♦ A 


Q 


J 


7 6 















A 


5 


3 









7 6 



♦ A K 6 5 

Z dealt and bid no trumps at once. All passed, B 
imagining that he had a better chance to set the con- 
tract than to accomplish anything in diamonds. 

A led the seven of hearts. Z figured by the eleven 
rule that as there were 11 — 7 = 4 higher out against 
the leader. B had two of them, as dummy had but two 
higher than the 7, and if third hand had a smaller card 
he would duck the 7 unless dummy covered it, so Z put 
on the 8 from Y's hand, not that he can accomplish 
much by it, as all the hearts must make, but it is a good 
habit to cover this w^ay. 



300 ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 

But B did not know anything about the eleven rule, 
and instead of playing the lo, which was a sure winner, 
he put on the ace, and as he saw dummy had the hearts 
stopped he thought it best to clear his own suit, as he 
still had a good re-entry card in the king of clubs. 

Z passed two rounds of the diamonds, as to exhaust 
A, discarding a club from Y's hand. Then he led the 
ace of spades, but upon catching nothing better than the 
4 and 7, he determined to try his luck with an under- 
play. 

Instead of going on with the king of spades he led 
the small one, hoping to find the higher ones with A, 
who had no diamonds to lead to B. This plan worked, 
as A won the trick with the queen and proceeded to 
make his king and queen of hearts, upon which Z dis- 
carded the king and six of spades, so as not to be put 
into the lead on that suit. 

A put dummy in with a heart, as Z foresaw that he 
would, and B had to let go one of his diamonds in order 
to keep his jack of spades and his guarded club king. 
This enabled Z to count his hand, and Y led a club 
through, took the finesse of the jack, caught the king 
and made the odd trick, which was all he had bid to 
make. 

B's ignorance of the eleven rule cost him no points. 
If he had counted the spots on his partner's card and 
played the ten of hearts, returning the ace and follow- 
ing it with the four, he could have kept his guarded 
club and his three to the jack in spades, making a re- 
verse discard in diamonds with the seven and six. 

This would have enabled A to make all his hearts 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 3OI 
/ __,_^ 

and then to have come along with a diamond. Whether 
Z won the first diamond trick or the second or the third 
would not matter then, as B must make the king of 
clubs or the jack of spades. This would have meant 
five heart tricks, two tricks in diamonds and one in a 
black suit, eight tricks against a contract to make seven, 
or 100 points gained in penalties. 

A rather curious hand came up recently in which 
one player held seven diamonds to the A J lo and four 
hearts to the A lo, singleton club and spade. The 
dealer on his left had bid a club, showing a sure trick 
in that suit, and his partner had gone as high as three 
no trumps over the four diamonds, because he held the 
king and queen of diamonds, with seven clubs to the 
king queen jack and the ace king and other spades, but 
no hearts. 

Knowing he was up against something unusually 
strong, and that his diamond suit was stopped^ the 
leader did not open that suit at all, but started with the 
four of hearts. Dummy laid down the Q 9 8 3, and 
the declarer, imagining the object of the lead was sim- 
ply to get a diamond through, which did not bother him 
at all with his king queen of that suit, played a small 
heart second hand, the trev. 

Imagine his astonishment when the third hand 
dropped the deuce under it and the four held the trick. 
The ace and ten of hearts followed, and the king jack 
seven all scored on the right. Then the diamond came 
through and the declaration went down for two tricks. 

Had the declarer been a little more careful and ap- 
plied the eleven rule to the first lead, instead of taking 



302 ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 

it for granted that it was only to get a lead through 
him, he would have put on the eight, forcing the jack 
and leaving the queen nine in dummy as tenace over the 
ten if that were led through him. 

This would have kept the possibilities of the heart 
suit down to three tricks^ which with the ace of dia- 
monds would not have saved the game even, to say 
nothing about defeating the declaration. 



XXXIII 
PLAY OF THE SECOND HAND 

*'The last thing that the seli-taught player learns/' 
says a well-known writer, ''is the exceptions to the old 
rule of second hand low/' The rule alluded to, which 
is a relic from the days of bumblepuppy, ''second hand 
low ; third hand high," is simply a tradition, a maxim 
which is nowhere to be found in the text-books, even 
though the whole sixty-eight standard works that have 
been published on whist should be searched for it. 

In the rules for the proper play of certain combi- 
nations of cards as laid down by the original "Hoyle," 
whose book was published in 1742, the first twenty 
pages or so are taken up with the leads, then come two 
pages of discards by the second hand. In Chapter X 
he gives the rules for playing singly guarded honors 
second hand, but the positions are of no interest to the 
auction player with an exposed hand on the table. 
Further on a few remarks about two honors in sequence 
with only one small card, and that is all there is about 
second hand play from the father of whist tactics. 

"Cavendish,'' writing 150 years later, analyzed all the 
combinations that might be held at second hand, using 
the old system, which was to give the rule first and then 
the exception right after it, with the natural result that 
the beginner on sitting down to the card table without 
the book did not always recollect which was the rule 
and which was the exception. Walker, in his little 

303 



304 ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 

handbook, ''The Correct Card," gives the same thing 
in the same way, as if the play of the second hand were 
a separate part of the game to be learned by itself. 

In the ''Whist Manual," first published in 1890, the 
modern system of teaching was followed, giving the 
rule and leaving the exceptions to be found out by 
experience. The fundamental principle of second hand 
play was set down this way : 

"When you hold any combination from which you 
would lead a high card you should play a high card 
second hand from that combination if you hold it over 
a small card led through you." This enabled any one 
who had learned the leads to play second hand correctly 
without any further study. 

While this was written for whist, it will be found 
applicable to almost every situation in auction. The 
player with dummy on his left needs no rule, because 
he can see what is behind him if he is led through; but 
the one with dummy on his right must understand sec- 
ond hand play in order to protect himself. 

The declarer must be verv careful about his second 
hand tactics if he is led through and dummy has no 
protection in the suit. Dummy's cards must be played 
on the same principle if it is the concealed hand that 
is weak. The advantage to be taken of the eleven rule 
in such cases has been explained. 

The only exceptions to the usual rule of high card 
combinations led through are the obvious cases in 
which dummy and the declarer may hold between them 
the cards that go to make up a combination which 
w^ould come under the rule only if it were all in one 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 305 

hand. In such a case the usual second hand play is 
unnecessary. With A K Q small in one hand the rule 
requires the high card second hand on a small card led ; 
but if the A Q small are in one hand and the K in the 
other the high card second hand is quite unnecessary. 

There are two mistakes that are continually made by 
the beginner and the self-taught player in second hand 
tactics, both of which errors are likely to prove expen- 
sive upon occasion, and either of which would be 
avoided if he kept before him the simple fundamental 
rule for second hand play already quoted. 

The first mistake, and probably the more common, is 
the failure to distinguish between suits of three cards 
and those of four, when they are headed by two honors 
in sequence. Take, for example, queen and jack. If 
there is only one small card one of the honors must fall 
to the ace or king, so it should be put on or both may 
be lost. With two small cards this does not follow, as 
the ace and king may leave the queen and jack both 
good for tricks. 

Test this combination by the rule. If you had only 
three cards, queen jack and small, and were to lead that 
suit you would begin with a high card. Then play a 
high card second hand on a small card led through you. 
If you lead from four of the suit without the ten or 
nine, you do not lead the queen or jack, but the fourth 
best. Therefore play the small card second hand. The 
beginner is continually covering second hand just be- 
cause he has two honors in sequence, regardless of the 
number of the small cards with the queen and jack. 

Here is a hand that the writer saw played under the 



3o6 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



old count which shows the consequences that may flow 
from this apparently trivial mistake : 











Z 


? 7 6 


3 


















* Q J 


8 


2 
















9 4 














8 


2 




♦ lO 9 


3 


2 


lO 


5 




^ 9 




Y 




4. 


* lO 


9 


7 


6 


5 


A 


B 


4k A 


K 


4- 


3 


A 


Q 


7 


6 


5 


A A 


^^ 


J 


3 






4k .... 




... 






Z 




♦ 8 


6 


4 






Z 


) A K 


Q 






1 






* 


» • • 


















c 


> K lO 


8 


2 









♦ A K Q J 7 5 



Z dealt and bid no trump, which A overcalled with 
two in diamonds. The others passing, Z went two no 
trumps, as he had the diamonds securely stopped. 

A did not lead the diamond, as he knew Z must have 
the king guarded, if not king and jack, so he tried to 
get B into the lead to come through Z. He selected the 
club suit^ leading the fourth best, because it could not 
be the declarer's long suit and would force Z to open 
something else up to B. 

The declarer, who was not up on the fine points of 
second hand play, put on the jack. B won the trick 
with the king and at once responded to his partner's 
diamond declaration by leading the jack through Z, 
who had discarded a small diamond on the club trick. 

Z covered the jack with the king, so as to make the 
ten good for a trick, dummy having the nine. A won 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 30/ 

with the ace and led the ten and nine of clubs through 
Y. The declarer refused to cover with the queen, hop- 
ing B would be compelled to win the trick or block his 
partner's suit^ Z discarding spades. 

After winning the fourth round of clubs B came 
through with his remaining diamond and A won with 
the queen, making a trick with his fifth club and setting 
the contract for two tricks. 

This was a clear loss of 136 points and the game, 
which is supposed to be worth 125 more, and it is all 
due to bad second hand play. On the opening lead of 
a club the declarer should have inferred by the eleven 
rule that B held two cards higher than the six, as 
dummy has only three higher and the declarer himself 
has none. In order to prevent B from ducking the trick 
Y should have put on the eight, so as just to cover the 
six, but never the jack or queen. 

Let B win this trick and lead the diamond through 
and A is in, but Y has the club suit stopped. No matter 
what club A leads Y has the second and third best, and 
by playing one second hand, just as he would lead one 
if he were leading the suit, he is sure of the trick on 
that round or the next. B can win the second round 
of clubs and give A another diamond, but there they 
die, as the declarer must make every other trick no 
matter what A leads, three by cards and the game. 

Another very common mistake, which one may see 
any day, is the failure to distinguish between combina- 
tions at second hand which are supported by the fourth 
hand and those which are not. Take the everyday case 
of queen and one small second hand ; a small card led 



3o8 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



through. If there is nothing but the ace and small 
cards in the fourth hand the best chance for two tricks 
in the suit is to put up the queen, because if it is not 
played almost anything will force the ace and the queen 
must fall to the king next time, leaving the jack and 
ten still good against the declarer. 

But if the ten or jack is in the same hand with the 
ace to play the queen second hand is to give up the cer- 
tainty of two tricks in the suit no matter how the cards 
lie. While it is true that the queen may hold the trick 
if it is put on, it is also true that if it does not hold the 
trick it is thrown away if the ten is the highest card in 
the hand with the ace. Take this case : • 









^ 


K 8 


2 












♦ Q 5 












lO 5 








7 




♦ 


Q J 


9 


6 4 3 




^ J 




Y 




^ A lO 


9 


4k J 


9 


7 6 3 


2 


A 


B 


4k K 8 




8 


3 










Q J 


7 


♦ A 


7 


5 




Z 




^ 10 






^ 


Q 6 


^ 


- 










* A lO 


4 










OAK 


9 4 










♦ 


K 8 


2 







5 3 



6 2 



Z played the hand on a bid of two no trumps, doubled 
by A. 

A's view of the position is that if his partner is long 
in both the red suits, as was shown by the bidding, and 
A is long in the clubs, with the ace of spades on the 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 309 

side, Z cannot make eight tricks at no-trump before A 
or B get a suit cleared. Nevertheless, apart from the re- 
sult, this is a bad double, because it gives the declarer a 
chance to go game on a fulfilled contract. Had it been 
a free double the case would have been different. 

A did not touch either of his partner's declared suits, 
but started with the fourth best of his own six-card suit, 
his idea being to make Z lead B's suits up to B. The 
declarer, who was not familiar with the principles of 
second hand play, put on the queen of clubs second 
hand. B covered with the king and the ace won the 
trick. 

Z opened up the spades, leading the king, but A held 
off, hoping, from the bidding, that B could kill dummy's 
re-entry in hearts if Z were exhausted of spades to lead. 
Y won the second spade trick with the jack and then 
forced the ace. On these two tricks B started a reverse 
in diamonds by discarding the seven and then let the 
trey of hearts go. 

A led the diamond, keeping his club tenace, and Z 
let the jack win, so as to be sure of three tricks in the 
suit with the A K 9. But B did not continue the dia- 
monds, leading the club instead, and the contract failed 
for three tricks. Had Z won the diamond the result 
would have been just the same, as B must get in on one 
of the red suits and A will keep all his clubs. 

Had this hand been properly managed Y would have 
passed the first club lead, and no matter how the cards 
lie Y and Z must make two tricks in the suit, so that A 
never gets in after it is cleared. Z would have won B's 
king with the ace and started the spades, clearing them 



3IO 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



before it would be possible for Y to lose his queen of 
clubs. Then, if A leads the diamond, Y would be care- 
ful to play the ten second hand with a view to the 
future finesse of the nine. 

Many tricks are lost through the failure of the sec- 
ond hand to take a chance. In a no-trumper, for in- 
stance, suppose a small card is led and dummy has only 
the queen and. one or two small cards, there being no 
protection at all in the fourth hand, the only play is to 
put the queen right on. Here is an example of what 
happens every day : 







^ A 


K 












^ 8 


4- 










A 


K 


8 






6 


♦ 


J 


9 


8 


6 5 4- 




^ Q J lO 7 


4- 




Y 




^82 




4k J lO 






A 




B 


A A K 


9 6 5 2 


J 9 6 3 


2 








A^ 


lO 7 


5 


♦ 








Z 




♦ 7 3 






9? 


9 


5 


3 










* Q 


7 


3 


> 






Q 


4- 










♦ 


A 


K 


Q 1 


O 2 





Y got the play on three no trumps. 

B led a small club, as he knew his partner had no 
winning hearts. The declarer played a small club 
second hand from dummy and six club tricks made, 
setting the contract for lOO points. 

The declarer should have known that the leader can- 
not have three honors, and almost anything in B's hand 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 3 II 

will win the first trick, leaving the king and ace to eat 
up the queen. In no-trumpers a small card is so often 
led from ace and king that it pays to take a chance on a 
queen second hand. If the queen is put on in this case 
Y and Z make a small slam instead of losing loo points 
in penalties. 



XXXIV 
HONOR ON HONOR 

^'Cover an honor with an honor" is a maxim that one 
may hear quoted as frequently as any other at the card 
table. ''What is the object?" asks the beginner, and the 
answer is usually about the same thing. ''To make 
your opponents play two honors to win one trick." 

Under the impression that he has learned something 
new and valuable in the line of second hand play the 
beginner forthwith proceeds to put aces on jacks, kings 
on tens and queens on both without any regard to the 
probable object of the lead or the possibilities of his 
partner's hand. The only thing that gives him pause is 
the cards in the dummy, and as a rule they are the very 
things that should not deter him from covering an 
honor with an honor. 

In auction very definite rules can be laid down for 
the second hand in the matter of covering honors led. 
These rules apply especially to the person who sits on 
the right of the declarer when dummy leads through 
him and also to the play of the declarer and his dummy 
when those hands are led through. The player with 
the dummy on his left should have a much easier task, 
as he knows exactly what is behind him, although he 
cannot tell what the dealer is leading from. In spite 
of this fact it is in this very position that most of the 
bad second hand play occurs, chiefly because the cards 
in the dummy frighten the beginner. 

312 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 313 

' An excellent rule in auction for the second hand is 
to cover an honor with an honor only when your honor 
is lost in any case and the play may make an inferior 
card good in your partner's hand. As a rule, good 
players do not give their opponents an opportunity to 
force the sacrifice of two honors to win one trick if they 
can help it, but occasionally the declarer is driven to 
lead suits that he would rather let alone, and if the 
second hand play is not sound, he may slip in a trick or 
two that he is not entitled to. 

It is well known to good players, for example, that it 
is useless to lead a queen to an ace- jack suit without 
the ten, because the queen is simply thrown away if it is 
led against good players. If the king is second hand 
it will cover the queen to make the ten good. If it is 
fourth hand it will win the queen. The proper play is 
to lead to the queen instead of to the ace. 

But the declarer cannot always arrange the lead to 
suit himself and he may be compelled to lead to the 
ace, in which case he must either lead the queen or 
block himself by leading a small card from queen and 
one. . 

When such a lead is made, the second hand must put 
the king on the queen, if he holds it, even if he sees 
from dummy's cards that his king is lost. Failure to 
cover in such cases is one of the commonest and most 
expensive errors in the game, and the importance of 
covering second hand in such cases is worth impressing 
upon the beginner at some length. Take this case : 



314 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



C? A J 8 3 

♦ Q 9 
OAUO 

♦ A K 6 5 3 



^ Q 


lO 


9 






Y 




9? K 


7 4 


A lO 


3 


2 




A 




B 


* K 


5 4- 


Q 


6 


3 








j-f 


K 


J 9 8 


♦ J 


lO 


9 


7 




Z 




♦ 2 






^ 6 


5 


2 












* A 


J 


8 7 6 










5 


4- 












# 


Q 


8 


4. 







7 2 



Y wins the declaration and plays the hand at two no 
trumps. 

B led the eight of diamonds and A put on the queen, 
Y let the suit run two rounds, hoping it might exhaust 
A's power to lead diamonds. A came back with the 
six, but as B dropped the deuce Y could not place the 
trey. 

Y can see his contract easily enough if the spades 
fall, because five spade tricks and three aces will give 
him two by cards. If the king of clubs is on his left he 
can just go game by getting two club tricks instead of 
one, but he dare not risk the club finesse now because it 
might let in four more diamonds if A has one to lead. 
This would set the contract, so th^t the first thing to 
do is to see if the spades will fall and what cards the 
big diamond hand discards. 

A small spade to dummy's queen and Y wins the 
second round with the king, only to find B out and dis- 
carding the seven of hearts, which B intended as a 
reverse, to show his re-entry in hearts in case A should 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 315 

get in. To go on with the spades and then try the 
finesse in clubs would be to establish a spade in A's 
hand, which would set the contract for two tricks if the 
club finesse went wrong, as it would allow A and B to 
make a club, a spade and five diamonds. 

This practically forced Y to lead the clubs from his 
own hand, so he played the queen. B looked at dummy 
and saw that his king was a goner if he put it on, so 
he passed. Dummy played small and the queen held 
the trick. The nine of clubs followed, the jack held 
and the ace killed the king and ten. Five club tricks, 
ace of spades and ace of hearts finished the business, 
giving Y four by cards and the game. 

This is a fair example of what one sees every day, 
the second hand considering his own cards and dummy 
and forgetting that he has a partner. If Y holds the 
ten of clubs with a small one^ it does not make the 
slightest difference what B does with his king, as five 
club tricks must make. But if Y does not hold the ten 
it must be in A's hand, and if it is twice guarded B can 
make it good for a trick by putting his honor on the 
honor led, leaving dummy only two tricks in clubs in- 
stead of five. 

If the declarer, Y, has the ten wathout a small card A 
must have three to the nine, and that nine will stop the 
whole club suit if B will only cover the honor with the 
honor. Study the situation from any view of its possi- 
bilities and it must be evident that no matter how the 
cards lie, nothing can be lost by putting the king on the 
queen, even wdien you see the ace and jack on the table 
waiting to gobble you up. 



3l6 ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 

Had B covered the honor with an honor it would 
have forced the declarer to let him hold the trick and 
make his four diamonds, or to overtake with the ace 
and give A a trick in clubs or spades, or let B make his 
king of hearts, in each case letting in the diamonds. 
Y cannot make his contract, no matter what he does if 
B covers, instead of which B lets him go game on the 
hand. 

The cases in which an honor should be covered are 
usually those in which there is a possible fourchette 
between the two hands, as in the case just given, or 
when there is a fourchette in the second hand itself. A 
fourchette, it should be explained^ is the combination 
of the cards immediately above and below the card led. 
If you hold queen and ten and a jack is led through 
you, you cover with the fourchette, because by playing' 
your queen you leave your ten just as good as the 
queen, but you transfer the trick to your side instead 
of leaving it to the jack. If the opponents want it, they 
will pay two honors for one trick. 

An imperfect fourchette is the combination of the 
card above and the card next but one below the card 
led. The K lo is an imperfect fourchette over the Q 
and it pays to cover the queen when you have a small 
one with the ten, because the position is precisely the 
same as covering the queen to make three to the lO 
good in your partner's hand. With three to a king it 
is not necessary to cover, and it is hardly likely that 
your king can be led through often enough to catch 
it. 

One should always cover with a perfect fourchette. 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



317 



no matter 


what 


is 


beyond in the dummy. Take this 


case: 




« 




^ J 

A A 

A 


5 

K Q 3 

Q J 










♦ A 


K 4. 


2 


^ A 7 






Y 


^ Q 10 2 


* 10 4- 


2 








A 


B 


* J 9 8 6 


K 10 


8 


7 


3 


2 


Xx 


9 5 


♦ J 9 












Z 


4^ Q 10 8 6 




Z 


' K 


9 8 


6 4-3 










* 7 


5 










C 


> 6 


4 





♦ 752 



Z dealt on the rubber game and called a heart, which 
was a bridge call, not auction, as he had no sure trick 
in the suit. A bid two diamonds and Y two no trumps. 
B passed and Z did not overcall, as he should have done 
with a bust in hearts. 

B led the nine of his partner's declared suit and A 
passed it up, knowing the A Q J must be with Y. The 
declarer could not see more than two spades, three 
clubs and two diamonds in the combined hands, which 
is a trick short of his contract. As everything turns on 
the fourth club^ which is very doubtful, or a trick in 
hearts, he tried the heart first. 

When the jack of hearts is led through B and he sees 
the king on his left he does not cover w^ith the queen 
and the jack forces the ace. A could not do better than 
come back to weakness in clubs. Y put on the queen, 
led another heart and after making his trick with the 



3i8 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



king led through A's diamonds, making both queen and 
ace, so that he not only got his contract but won the 
game and rubber. 

Had B covered the jack with the fourchette not only 
would Y and Z never make a heart trick but Y would 
never get the diamond led through A and his contract 
would be set for 50 points. 

But there are many cases in which a player should 
not cover an honor with an honor, even when he has 
an imperfect fourchette. The beginner can distinguish 
such situations only by considering the object of the 
lead and the cards that may be in the fourth hand. If 
the object is to take a finesse and you have the only 
card to finesse against it is lost. If there are two 
cards to finesse against and you have one give your 
partner a chance to make the other. 

Here is a hand which shows the consequences of 
neglecting this principle in play : 









^ 


5 


4 












* A 


10 


7 5 3 








9 


5 


3 




- 




♦ 


8 


7 


4 




^ 8 






Y 




^ A K Q 9 7 


♦ Q 


9 6 2 






A 




B 


^ K 


K 


Q 10 7 


6 


4- 


A^ 




u 


8 


♦ 5 


3 








Z 




♦ J 10 9 6 2 




^ 


J 


10 


3 


2 






• 


A J 


8 


4 








A 


J 


2 








♦ 


A 


K 


Q 





On the rubber game Z dealt and bid no trumps at 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 319 

once, as he did not care what his partner had. A bid 
two in diamonds and Y passed. B overcalled A with 
two hearts to show that he could not support the dia- 
mond make. With both these red suits stopped, Z 
went on to two no trumps and neither adversary felt 
like going further^ as neither could support his part- 
ner's declaration. 

A led his own suit, the king of diamonds, and Z held 
off so as to make both ace and jack. A did not see any 
reason to shift, as B might have the jack and Z might 
be simply holding the ace to exhaust B, so Z got into 
the lead with both red suits still stopped. 

On counting up his resources the declarer saw that 
he could make three spade tricks at any time, but no 
more. There is nothing in hearts unless B leads them 
or Y can come through him so the whole play of the 
hand comes down to the club suit, in which there is an 
A — ^J — 10 finesse. 

It would be much better if Y could lead the clubs so 
that the jack might force either king or queen and leave 
the ace and ten for a possible finesse over the other 
honor, but Z cannot get dummy into the lead^ so he 
concludes to start right in by leading the jack and 
ducking it. 

Without stopping to consider the object of the play, 
A, holding an imperfect fourchette, covered with the 
queen. Y at once put on the ace and the king fell. By 
putting Z in the lead with a spade and leading the eight 
of clubs, which A again covered with the imperfect 
fourchette, nine and six, Y won the second round with 
the ten. Once more Z gets in with a spade and leads a 



320 ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 

club through, so that Y's major tenace^ seven and five 
hold over A's six and deuce and all five clubs make. 

After that there is nothing left for Z but the ace 
of spades, as he must give up two heart tricks at the 
end, but in the meantime he has made four by cards 
and the P"ame. 

If the student will lay out the club suit as shown in 
the hands of A and Y he will find that no matter where 
the king lies A cannot gain anything by covering the 
jack with his queen, when he has not the ten also. 

Suppose the king is with Z. If A covers Y will win 
with the ace, lead a small card to Z's king and let Z 
come through to Y's major tenace, ten and seven over 
the nine and six, making all the clubs. 

If we suppose the king is not with Z, then it must be 
with B, and if A passes up the jack, as he should have 
done, Y v/ill have to let the king make or he will have 
to pay two honors to get one trick by giving up the 
ace, making A's queen the top. Of course Y was going 
to pass up the jack, in which case B's king of clubs 
would have let him make three heart tricks, which 
would have just saved the game, even if it did not set 
the contract. As the rubber went with the game this 
was an expensive error of A's. 

The rules for covering smaller honors with the best 
of the suit, such as putting aces on jacks, and kings on 
tens, are a seperate part of the rather complicated 
science of second hand play, the rule of covering an 
honor with an honor not being supposed to refer to 
any cases but those in which the honor covered and the 
one covering are in sequence. 



XXXV 

BEATING DUMMY 

In the system of communication commonly used by 
the partners opposed to the declaration at auction, the 
beginner is instructed to return his partner's suit with 
a card which is to be selected by one of the following 
rules : 

1. Holding the best card of your partner's suit, lead 
it, regardless of number. 

2. Holding both second and third best, lead one of 
them, so as to force the command. 

3. Holding only two small cards of the suit, lead 
back the higher. 

4. Holding three or more, return the lowest. 

• But there is another rule which might be added to 
these, and which should act as a corrective to all of 
them, but which the text-books almost invariably over- 
look. This rule is always to beat dummy, regardless of 
the number of cards you hold. 

To this might be added still another rule, which does 
not readily lend itself to the mechanical game. Do not 
return your partner's suit at all if 3^ou see a chance to 
give him a possible finesse in another suit. 

The application of the last rule depends largely on 
the individual player's pov/er of inference, because it 
is not every auction player that knows enough about 
reading cards to see when he can give his partner a 
finesse. If he has advanced so far in the game he may 

321 



Z22 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



find many opportunities to take advantage of situa- 
tions in which tricks can be picked up that would escape 
the average player. Take this case, a hand played at 
the old count, but which illustrates the point nicely: 









^ 


A 


J 


7 


3 








A A 


K 


J lO 3 








A 


Q 


J 








♦ 


7 








^943 






Y 




<r? K Q 


* 6 

K lO 7 


6 


4- 


3 


A 




B 


* Q 9 4 
5 2 


4fl A J 4- 










Z 




♦ Q lO 6 5 3 2 




^ 


lO 


8 


6 


5 








A 8 


7 


5 2 








9 


8 










♦ 


K 


9 


8 





The score was love all and Z was a believer in the 
fake no-trumper, so he bid it. A being an auction 
player sat tight, as he saw no chance to make eleven 
tricks on his cards with diamonds for trumps. Y 
passed, as the no-trumper suited him, and B also 
passed. 

A led his fourth best diamond, dummy played the 
jack and led three rounds of clubs, clearing up that suit, 
A discarding a diamond and a heart and B getting into 
the lead. It is now up to B to think the situation over 
and infer what he can before he plays. 

If he leads the heart dummy will probably hold oflf to 
make both ace and jack and may make several more, as 
A is discarding hearts. If B leads the diamond he 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 323 

gives Y two sure tricks without accomplishing any- 
thing, as it will not clear A's suit. Turning his atten- 
tion to Z's hand, although his bid denies a sure trick, 
he might have had one in spades but not have been 
strong enough to bid two spades. So he cannot have 
both ace and king, but he might have one or the other. 

Dummy has in sight two more good clubs and one 
sure trick in each of the red suits. That is seven. If 
Z holds the ace of spades all he has to do is to get in 
with it, eight tricks, lead the diamond through A's king 
and make both ace and queen^ nine tricks and the 
game; Z must have a diamond to lead, as the eleven 
rule tells B he had originally two higher than the six 
that A led. 

If this is the situation the game is gone no matter 
what B leads, but if Z had the king of spades and A has 
the ace B can give A a possible finesse by leading the 
queen and then A will be able to lead through Y's 
hearts, making it difficult for Y to make more than one 
trick in that suit. 

Acting on this inference, B led the queen of spades. 
Z covered it. A played the ace and led back the jack. 
Then seeing that to shift would let in dummy's clubs 
he went on with the spades. The six spade tricks and 
the queen of clubs set the contract. 

Had B led a small spade A would have finessed the 
jack and returned the ace and then a small one prob- 
ably. The king would have blocked B's suit and have 
enabled Z to lead the diamond through A, winning the 
game. 

Most of the books will tell you that if you are long 



3^4 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



in your partner's declared suit you should begin with 
the higher of two or three and the lowest of four, 
Foster's ''Advanced Auction" says always lead the 
highest regardless of number, because auction is a 
game of aces and kings, not of five card suits. 

The continual exception to the rule for varying the 
lead is that you should always beat dummy if dummy 
is on your right. Take this case : 









Z 


' K 6 


4 


3 2 












* lO 7 


^ 














9 8 


5 










9 




# 


8 4 




^^J 


5 




^ A 




Y 






Jk K 


9 


3 




A 


B 


* J 


8 




Q 


J 


4 


2 


lo 


7 


6 3 


4 A 


K 


Q 


J 


Z 




♦ lO 

7 


7 


6 5 




Z 


> Q lO 


8 










* A Q 


6 


5 2 












OAK 
















# 


► 9 3 











A plays the hand on a bid of one no trump. 

Y led the club to his partner's declaration, dummy 
played small and Z put on the ace. Then instead of 
leadmg the lowest of four hearts to his partner's decla- 
ration Z was careful to beat dummy and led the queen. 
A put on the ace at once^ as there was apparently no 
use in passing one round, and made his four winning 
spades. 

On the last two spade leads Z discarded two hearts ! 

A then led the diamond, and Z made both his dia- 
monds while he was in and then led the heart to his 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 325 

*»fc»»^ — ••• — — » — -• — — — — — — — — •• — — — — — — — — — •• — — — — — -■-.-. — •^••^^_,^^»^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ 

partner, who made three more tricks in that suit, set- 
ting the contract for 50 points. 

Now look how this hand goes if Z follows the usual 
book rule, leading the lowest of four to his partner's 
declared suit. Z wins the first trick with the ace of clubs 
and comes back with the seven of hearts. A will pass 
the small heart and Y will have to put on the king to 
shut out the jack. Another heart and A is in with the 
ace to make his four spades. On these Z will have to 
discard clubs, as every heart he lets go is a trick thrown 
aw^ay, because he cannot clear his clubs in one lead. 

When A leads the diamond Z will make his two heart 
tricks^ A and B both discarding diamonds. Now if Z 
leads a small club B gets in with the jack and makes a 
spade. If he leads the high club A makes two tricks 
with the king and nine. No matter what he does all 
he can get home is the ace of diamonds, so that A just 
gets his contract and the rubber. 



XXXVI 

THE NULLO DECLARATIONS 

The nullo is a contract to lose tricks, and the player 
bidding it undertakes to win not more than six out of 
the thirteen, the declaration being always at no trumps. 

If he bids one nullo, he means that his opponents will 
get one trick over the book at no trump in spite of their 
efforts to present him with as many tricks as they can. 
Instead of bidding upon what he will make himself, as 
in the regular game of auction, in nullos he bids on 
what his adversaries will make ; not by their own good 
play, but by his compelling them to take the tricks. 

It will not require more than an hour's experience 
with the new declarations, provided there is at least 
one person at the table who knows something of the 
bidding tactics and play, to convince any person that 
there is more fun in the nullos than in any other decla- 
ration in the game. 

While those who have played skat or solo whist 
or boston have an advantage in their knowledge of the 
way dangerous suits should be managed, the tactics 
and the conventions he has learned in those games 
apply to the single player against two or three op- 
ponents. The exposed dummy and the necessity of 
getting rid of dangerous cards in two hands, which 
must be played in combination, opens up a new field, 
which has interests of its own. 

326 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 327 

It is not as easy to lose tricks as it looks, especially 
when the other side is trying to give them to you. The 
taking powers of a five spot are sometimes remarkable 
in playing nullos, and the way aces and kings can be 
discarded is rather astonishing to the novice at the 
game. 

But there are a number of fine points in connection 
with the tactics of playing nullos which are totally 
foreign to anything the average bridge player is fa- 
miliar with. It will no longer be a game of aces and 
kings, but of deuces and treys. 

Some writers condemn the nullo as an individual 
speculation, and suggest that it is not a partnership 
game, and presents no opportunities for subtilty of 
inference. That such opinions are based more on 
imagination and prejudice than on experience must be 
evident to any one who has played boston, or skat, or 
solo whist, or nada, or cayenne. 

In the first place, there is no declaration which is 
based so clearly upon the partner's initiative as the 
nullo. No better evidence of this can be ofifered than 
the fact that it is seldom or never necessary to take 
the partner out of a nullo bid. 

One continually sees partners at loggerheads about 
the ordinary declarations, one insisting on a suit and 
the other overcalling him with no trumps, or one bid- 
ding hearts and the other royals, and neither knowing 
which is the better bid on the combined hands. One 
invites a no trumper and the other suggests something 
else, and then the first one switches to a third declara- 
tion. This happens every day. 



XXXVII 
SCORING AT NULLOS 

The present rank of the suits m bidding at auction 
is spades 2, clubs 6, diamonds 7, hearts 8, royal spades 
9, nullos 10, and no trumps 10. While the last two 
are of the same value, the no-trumper will outbid the 
nullo, no matter which bid is made first. This is a 
point on which some persons appear to get confused. 
If A bids a nullo one no-trump will overcall it, although 
the nullo was bid first and is worth 10. If the no- 
trump is bid first it will take two nullos to overcall. 

The nullo may be doubled and redoubled once, just 
like any other declaration, and 20 or 40 may be scored 
for little or grand slam, but there are no honors to be 
scored by either side. 

The player bidding a nullo names the number of 
tricks over the book that he will compel his opponents 
to take, not the number of tricks he will take himself. 
Some persons have an idea that a nullo player names 
the actual tricks he will win regardless of any book, 
so that if he bids four nullos he undertakes to win 
only four actual tricks. This is a mistake. If that is 
what he means he should bid three nullos, which is a 
contract to make the opponents take three tricks over 
the book, leaving the declarer with four tricks. 

The score is always counted by the number of tricks 
taken by the opponents of the declaration. If the bid 
is three nullos by Y and Z and it is found that A and 

328 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 329 

B have won three by cards, then Y-Z have made good 
on their contract. If A-B have won four or five by 
cards then Y-Z are so much over their contract and 
score for the extra tricks, just aslhey would for tricks 
won over the contract in a positive declaration. 

The penalties are counted in the same way. Sup- 
pose Y-Z are the declarers, to make three nullos, and 
at the end of the hand A and B have won only two by 
cards. The nullo contract is set by one trick, losing 
50 points penalty in the honor column ; lOO if doubled, 
200 if redoubled. 

In case of a revoke the tricks are given to the re- 
voking side, instead of being taken from it. Suppose 
the contract is four nullos by Y-Z and at the end of 
the hand A-B have won only two by cards, but have 
revoked. As the hand stands the nullo contract has 
failed by two tricks, but if the side not in error gives 
three tricks to A-B they will have won five by cards, 
and the nullo contract has not only been fulfilled but 
has a trick over, and scores five by cards, or 50 toward 
game. 

If the declarer of the nullo revokes he scores nothing 
at all, and the other side takes 100 penalty in honors 
for the revoke, in addition to any penalties for a failed 
contract, but no tricks are given in this case, as the 
opponents of the declaration never take tricks in pen- 
alty, only points. Suppose Y-Z have bid four nullos 
and revoke while A-B win only three by cards. The 
contract has failed for a trick. That is 50 points. The 
revoke is 100 more. This is 150. 



XXXVIII 
THE BIDDING AT NULLOS 

Time and experience will show just by what scale 
to measure hands up for nullos and will undoubtedly 
suggest certain conventions such as are now thoroughly 
well understood in straight auction. These will grad- 
ually become as intelligible a language to the partner as 
anything we now have in the game. 

One thing seems already to be pretty well estab- 
lished, and that is the risk that a dealer quite needlessly 
runs in bidding nullos originally, and that a nullo player 
need never expect to get the contract for less than 
three tricks, although he may hold it for two if the 
hands are pretty well split up. 

If it is true that few nullo contracts can be obtained 
for less than three tricks there can be no harm in in- 
ducing the partner to bid one or two nullos as a starter. 
Few hands are played at a spade, and there is no harm 
in bidding a spade to begin with. With this as a 
foundation we can begin to elaborate a system of 
bidding up to nullos. 

The reason that the dealer should avoid original 
nullo bids is that they are non-informatory as to the 
length and distribution of the suits. An original spade 
shows a hand below average in high cards. If the 
cards are still high enough to be unsuitable for a nullo, 
such as eights, nines, and tens, the dealer can show it 
by refusing to support his partner's nullo declarations* 

330 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 331 

If they are deuces and treys, he should support the 
nullo, just as he would support a no-trumper with aces 
and kings. 

It is now conventional to bid two tricks on either of 
the losing suits, clubs or diamonds, when they offer 
unusual support for a no-trumper, such as A K Q and 
three others ; but to bid two tricks on the winning 
suits, hearts and royals, only when they are long 
enough to be the trump but not strong enough to sup- 
port a no-trumper. That is, when they are without 
the tops. You seldom want a weak or losing suit for 
the trump. A bid of three spades is conventional to 
show long and weak spades, and a willingness to play 
royals. 

If nullos become a permanent part of the game, these 
two-trick bids will probably have to be modified, just 
as several of the bids were modified when the new 
count came in, and tw^o tricks in any suit will have to 
mean length and small cards enough to support a 
nullo. The A K Q 5 3 2 would be an excellent nullo 
suit; but the A K Q 9 8 7 would not. The inter- 
mediate cards, the seven to the jack, are very bad 
nullo combinations when without smaller cards, so that 
the dealer should not bid two tricks unless his is safe 
in the suit, having the deuce, and one or two others 
below the seven. 

No long suit is safe without the deuce. 

As a general rule, any original bid of two tricks in 
any suit but spades, and one of three in that suit, should 
convey to the partner an opportunity to choose be- 
tween two declarations instead of commanding him to 



33^ ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 

stick to the one, as at present. Under the present sys- 
tem a two-trick bid in hearts or royals means ''Let me 
alone, no matter what you have. I want this suit for 
the trump." With nullos added to the game it means, 
''In case you do not think I can go game with this 
suit for trumps, perhaps you can shift to a nullo with 
advantage to both of us.'' 

The dealer's partner, in considering a nullo bid, must 
calculate to win some tricks. If he waits until he has 
nothing but deuces and treys and some assurance that 
there will be nothing but fours and fives in the dummy, 
he will be like the timid persons who never bid no 
trumps unless they have sure tricks in all four suits. 
When third hand is encouraged to start a nullo by 
the dealer's show of weakness, he must be prepared 
to drop it if the dealer does not support it. But if the 
dealer supports the nullo bid, after having started with 
a spade or a two-trick bid, the third hand should feel 
pretty safe in pursuing the declaration, even if he has 
several high or intermediate cards in his hand. 

Singletons and even two-card suits are very useful 
in nullos, as they allow discards in other suits, but they 
are more valuable in the concealed hand than in the 
dummy, as what is the hand that will profit most by 
getting discards which the adversaries might otherwise 
prevent. 

If a nullo is declared by one partner and the other 
has the low cards in two suits, but holds intermediates 
in a third, he may be pretty well assured that his part- 
ner has the smaller cards in that suit and the op- 
ponents will not have small cards enough to force more 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 333 

than one trick in it, if that even. One partner will 
often take a chance on one suit, with low cards in the 
others, and if the other has very low cards in any 
suit, that will usually be found to be the suit his part- 
ner has taken the chance on. Just as in a no-trump bid 
by the dealer, if the third hand finds he has all the 
winners in one suit, that must be the suit the dealer 
took a chance on finding against him. 

The great difference between the nullo or negative 
bids and the positive bids is that the nullo depends so 
much on the partner. Seven top hearts are good for 
seven tricks, no matter what partner has, but seven 
small hearts are not sure losers at nullos. 

We base all no trump bids on averages. The rule 
is a queen above average and three suits stopped. Of 
course, it does not always win out, and seldom gets the 
contract without further bidding, but any good player 
will take the chance time after time, night after night, 
and find it pays in the long run. 

The same principle that wins out on the average 
with the high cards, queen above average, can be ap- 
plied to the small cards at nullos. In no trumps you 
bid on the presence of the high cards; in nullos on 
their absence. 

Z deals and announces this absence of the high cards 
by a spade bid, or by two tricks in a suit. Y looks 
over his cards and finds he has not more than two tricks 
himself. Then the adversaries must have about nine. 
What can the third hand lose by challenging them to 
bid up their hands? If the dealer does not support the 
nullo, it can be dropped. 



334 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



Take this case. 



^ J lO 

* Q J 8 4 3 2 

lO 8 

4!k K Q 2 




^ A K 8 6 

* 

A K Q 6 5 3 

♦ lO 6 5 



Z bids a spade. A might bid two spades or pass. 
Whichever he does, Y would have to bid two clubs in 
the ordinary game, and B would say two diamonds, and 
with his partner's support could go game by trumping 
the first round of clubs if Z led the ace, as all the tricks 
left for Y and Z would be two spades. 

But with nullos in the game Y is not restricted to the 
club suit. He can bid a nullo. He has seven honors 
in his hand, it is true, and his partner may have three 
or four more. What of it? What does Y risk by bid- 
ding a nullo? 

Some persons would think such a bid was madness 
with nothing smaller than an eight in one suit, ten in 
another, and only one small card to the king and queen 
in a third. But if his partner has bid a spade. Where 
are all the high cards ? 

B overcalls the nullo with two diamonds. Z sup- 
ports his partner with two nullos, showing that he has 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 335 

unusually small cards. A bids three diamonds. Now 

Y and Z have got them going, and Y says three nullos, 
which takes five diamonds to overcall. At this B 
balked, having five losing cards, so he thought he would 
see if A wanted to go any further, but A did not. 

Now let us see what happens to the ten honors that 
the Y and Z hands hold between them. They are half 
the honors in the pack, but they are below average. 
That is the point. Three tens, two jacks, three queens, 
a king and an ace, with no suit in either hand shorter 
than two cards, therefore no opportunity to discard 
until the third round. ^ 

B led the interior spade six and Z played the eight, 
A the seven and Y the king. Y then led the jack of 
hearts, underplayed it with dummy's nine so as to win 
the ten of hearts with the queen and discard the spade 
queen on the five of hearts, dummy keeping the deuce. 
There is no escape from this for A and B. If B wins 
either first or second heart and leads another spade,, 

Y wins it and leads the low spade after the hearts are 
gone. 

The nullo player does not guarantee to lose thirteen 
tricks, and his game is not to make all his high cards 
take tricks separately, as it is in a no-trumper. The 
auction player strives to make three tricks with the 
ace, queen, jack, and thinks it a misfortune if he makes 
two only. The nullo player aims to make one only with 
those three cards, or none at all, and where the auction 
player strives to separate his winning trumps the nullo 
player tries to' bunch all the high cards in a suit. 

It is remarkable how the big cards can be bunched 



2Z^ 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



together on the tricks that must be won, and suits that 
would be good for four or five tricks at no trumps can 
often be got rid of for one or two at nullos if they are 
managed well. 

Here is a deal in which the combined hands of the 
declarer and dummy had between them two aces, two 
kings, three queens and three jacks. That is, they were 
a queen and jack stronger than their opponents, yet 
they made good on their contract to lose nine tricks. 







^ 


Q 


lO 4- 


3 








A K 


J 


4« 










K 


Q 


6 


4- 2 








♦ 


3 






9? A K 9 




^ J 2 






Y 




6 


* 8 7 


5 




A 




B 


A lO 9 6 


2 


lO 9 


5 




x& 




8 7 




4b A K 


9 8 


6 




Z 




♦ Q lO 4- 






9? 


8 


7 


5 








A A 


Q 


3 










A 


J 


3 










♦ 


J 


7 


5 


2 





Z dealt on the rubber game and bid a spade, being 
too short in clubs or diamonds to name either of those 
suits. A said two spades, showing his willingness to 
have it royals if his partner had the necessary support. 

Y bid two diamonds and B went two royals. When 
Z and A both passed, Y shifted to two nullos, as his 
partner had refused to assist the diamond declaration. 

B went three royals, and Z doubled. A passed and 

Y took the chance of winning the rubber in preference 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 337 



to getting some trifle of lOO or so in penalties, as he 
was very weak in royals, and the doubled contract 
might go game. Of course, B dropped the royals after 
being doubled. So Y gets it at three nuUos. 

B led the diamond and Z put on the ace, dropping 
Y's king. He followed with the jack and won it with 
the queen. Then he led the jack Oif clubs, put dummy's 
ace on it and came back with the queen, winning it 
with the king. This made four tricks, and he had got 
rid of eight high cards by the play. 

The next lead was the club four. The beginner 
will observe that a diamond lead at this stage would 
give one adversary a discard, which is something that 
one should always avoid as long as possible unless 
there is something to be gained by it. B put on the 
six of clubs, hoping his partner had no more. 

Judging from his partner's bid of two spades that Y 
must be short in that suit, B figured Y for several 
hearts, so he led the king, dropping the eight, jack and 
queen. On going on with the nine, he dropped the 
seven, deuce and four, which marked the heart suit as 
safe for Y and Z and A out of it, as he had to give 
up the deuce. 

B shifted to the interior spade ten, upon which 
dummy put the seven and A the ace, dropping the trey 
from Y. This enabled A to place the spades, but he 
could not be sure of the diamonds or hearts. He could 
have set the contract at this point by leading the dia- 
mond and taking that trick home before returning the 
spade, because as it happened it would have given B 
a spade discard. 



338 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



Such hands as this show that it is a fallacy to sup- 
pose that nullos must be all deuces and treys and that 
high cards are fatal to success. If the other side have 
enough high cards they must bid them up to get the 
play. In this case they did not have them, and had B 
played the hand at three royals doubled he would have 
been set for a trick at least, and if Z had made the 
proper opening from the hand, which would be a trump, 
B would have gone down for 200. 

There is frequently a doubt as to whether it is better 
to play the hand as a nullo or with a suit declaration, 
although there is never any doubt as between a nullo 
and a no-trumper. Some players have an exaggerated 
idea of the value of a trump suit, and while such a suit 
may be strong enough to carry out a contract it may 
not be the best declaration for the combined hands by 
any means. Here is a case in point: 





^ 


' J 


9 








« J 


8 


3 2 




J 


10 


9 5 3 2 




# 


5 








^ Q 10 






Y 




<;:? 8 3 


* 10 9 4- 




A 




B 


* K Q 7 


Q 8 7 




XX 




u 


OAK 


♦ K Q J 9 


7 




Z 




♦ A 10 8 




^ 


A 


K 


7 


6 5 4-2 




A A 


5 






6 


4 






# 


3 


2 







6 4< 



Z dealt and bid two hearts, which A passed. Y bid 
two nullos, and B said three royals just to wake his 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 339 

partner up a bit, but afraid to go n*o trumps with the 
hearts declared against him. Instead of supporting 
the nullos Z went four hearts, and that was the winning 
declaration, as A did not care to risk four royals. 

A led a spade and B overtook it to lead trumps. Z 
won the trump lead and ruffed dummy with a spade, 
B winning the next trick with the king of diamonds 
and forcing Z with a spade, so that Z lost a diamond 
and a club at the end, just missing his contract by a 
trick. 

In spite of his seven trumps Z's hand is infinitely 
better for a nullo than for a suit bid. Had he sup- 
ported his partner's declaration B would probably have 
started with the eight of hearts so as to get discards 
later. Whatever A plays he wins two heart tricks. 

A's next play would be the club, while dummy still 
had the ace, and Z would win the trick and lead the 
five, after which it is impossible to make Y or Z take 
another trick in anything, as there is no way to give A 
a discard of the club nine. 

This shows that in his anxiety to play his seven-card 
heart suit for the trump Z missed a chance to score a 
little slam at nullos, which would have given him the 
game and rubber instead of losing 50 points on a failed 
contract. 



XXXIX 

TAKING THE PARTNER OUT 

Probably one of the first things to attract the atten- 
tion of the beginner will be the necessity of warning 
the partner that the nullo bid will come to grief if per- 
sisted in. 

Some players seem to be unnecessarily anxious about 
the matter and to imagine that unless they have a hand 
full of deuces and treys their partner will have to win 
every trick. They forget that the partner who bids 
the nullo must have those deuces and treys, and if 
they have the sixes and sevens, there is nothing left 
for the opponents but high cards. 

Here is a hand which shows how needlessly a person 
may be alarmed when his partner bids a nullo against a 
no-trumper, and he has no small cards except one soli- 
tary deuce to help out the nullo: 











^ 


J 


9 


3 


















A J 


lO 


8 3 
















lO 2 












7 


3 




♦ 


Q 


J 


10 


6 


A 


10 6 




^ 






Y 




^ 


2 


A 


K 


Q 


6 4. 


2 


A 




B 


« 


9 









9 


5 


3 




A X 




X># 





A 


J 7 


6 


♦ 


5 


4- 


2 






Z 




^ 


A 


K 8 


3 




^ 


K 


Q 


8 


4 












♦ A 


7 


5 
















K 


Q 


8 4 
















♦ 9 


7 






















340 













ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 341 

Z dealt and bid no trumps. A said two nullos. 
Upon looking over his cards and heaving a sigh of re- 
gret that his partner had not let the no trumper alone, 
B felt himself compelled to pull his partner out of what 
he regarded as a dangerous hole, so he bid three hearts, 
being prepared to shift to royals if he was doubled. 

A bid three nullos and held the contract. Y led the 
ten of diamonds, and Z played king, queen and four, 
Y discarding a club, as he could force two spade tricks 
on B by keeping the spades. A won the diamond and 
put Z in again on that suit. Z then led the interior 
seven of clubs, A put on the queen, having discarded 
the king, and led the four to give B a spade discard. 
Z won and led spades, B winning the ten and leading 
the heart six. 

This A held with the seven, Y having discarded the 
heart jack leading another small club, on which Y dis- 
carded the heart jack and B the heart ace. This gave 
A his contract against the best play, as B is now safe 
in spades and hearts. 

B's efforts to take the declaration away from his 
partner would have proved disastrous had they suc- 
ceeded. At hearts, he might have won two by cards, 
but that is all. In royals, which he hoped A would 
support, he would have been doubled and lost at least 
400 points, as Z would have led the trump, having every 
suit stopped. 



XL 

PLAYING A NULLO HAND 

One of the principal errors into which the beginner 
is likely to fall is leading out the smallest cards too 
early in the hand, and giving the other side an oppor- 
tunity to get rid oi their high cards at once in bunches. 
Interior leads are very important in playing nullos. As 
an example of the folly of trying to lose tricks too 
early in the play, which is the same as making all your 
aces and kings in the ordinary declarations and so es- 
tablishing all the smaller cards against you, take this 
hand : 







^ 


K 


J 


6 


4- 3 










* Q 


9 


5 












9 


2 












2 


^ 


J 


8 


4- 


^ A 


9 




^ Q 8 






Y 






* J lO 


8 


3 


A 




B 


* A 


6 


4- 2 


OAK 


7 


5 


A A 




u 


Q 


J 


lO 8 


♦ lO 7 








Z 




♦ K 


Q 


3 




^ 


lO 7 


5 








4 


K 


7 











6 4 3 

♦ A 9 6 5 2 

Z dealt and bid three spades to show the long weak 
suit. When A passed Y bid a nullo and B no trumps. 
Z said two nullos and A two no trumps, and then Y 
took it up and finally got the contract at four nullos. 



342 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 343 

Instead of beginning with an interior lead or his 
shortest suit B started with the idea of getting rid of 
his high cards early and led the ace of clubs, which 
enabled Y and Z to get rid of the king and queen in 
one trick. It is never right to lead a winning card from 
a four-card suit except to exhaust an adversary's power 
to shake the lead. 

' When B followed with the deuce of clubs his partner 
played the trey, giving Y a chance to win the nine and 
return the five, putting A in. A then led the deuce of 
hearts instead of the interior eight. Y played the six, 
as he knew B must head the trick unless all the hearts 
were in A's hand. 

B played the ace and led the nine, which held the 
trick. Then B tried the trey of spades and Z played 
the six, knowing A must win it if he had any spades. 

When A put on the ' ten and returned the seven Y 
played the jack, as he knew the king or queen must 
win the trick. B made one more effort, leading a small 
club, which his partner had to win, Y getting a discard 
of the nine of diamonds. When A tried to get rid of 
the lead by playing a diamond it was too late, and Y 
scored a little slam. 

This result is due to the want of skill in handling the 
attack against a nuUo on the part of A and B. Both 
tried to get rid of the tricks too early, by leading their 
low cards too soon. The correct opening from B's 
hand was the short suit, ace and then nine of hearts, 
both of which would hold the trick. 

Now the interior six of clubs, not the ace, should 
follow. This would force the king from Z, who would 



344 ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 

have to take out the dangerous deuce of hearts at once 
by leading the five, giving B a diamond discard. Note 
that it is useless to discard the spade, as Z holds the 
deuce of that suit. 

Y's play would be to win the heart trick with the 
six and lead the eight of spades, as he is safe in dia- 
monds. B would put on the king and lead the queen 
and trey, throwing Y into the lead again with the four, 
giving A a club discard at the same time. Now Y must 
lead the diamond, which B holds with the jack, return- 
ing the eight, which A would win with the ace, or else 
A would win the jack with the ace and lead the king. 

Now what is Y going to do when A leads the eight of 
clubs? If he ducks it, B puts on the ace and leads a 
small one and Y wins the rest of the tricks. If Y puts 
on the nine, it holds and he wins every other trick, so 
that he is set for three or four tricks, instead of making 
a little slam. 



XLI 

PLANNING THE PLAY IN ADVANCE 

In nullos the play of the whole hand must be mapped 
out in advance. As an example of how easily a player 
may miss a contract through want of foresight in the 
ordinary game hundreds of hands have been published. 
Good teachers always impress upon their pupils the im- 
portance of elimination, of disregarding any suits in 
which nothing can be accomplished, and concentrating 
attention upon those suits in which something may be 
won, if tricks can be won at all that are not a show- 
down. Here is an example of what is meant by 
elimination. The contract was three nullos. 









^ 


A Q 


J 


3 










. 




« 3 




"■ 












Q J 


6 4 










6 


4 


* 


lO 8 


5 


3 


8 


7 




^ lO 9 




Y 




^ 


5 


A A K 


Q 


8 6 


4- 


A 


B 


A 


7 


5 


2 


lO 








^ ^ 


M^ 





9 


8 


7 


♦ 97 








Z 




"♦ 


A 


K 


Q 




^ 


K 














* J lO 


9 














OAK 


5 3 


2 












♦ 


J 6 


4- 


2 









A led the ten of diamonds, which Y and Z ducked, 
because if there are two in each hand the suit is safe, 
and it is not necessary to win a trick until you are 

345 



346 ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 

forced to do so, if you think you can escape it entirely. 
A shifted to the heart, Y put on the ace. 

Instead of stopping to count up the possibiHties of 
the hand Y started to get rid of the lead at once by 
playing the interior eight of spades, knowing one or 
both adversaries must win it. B put on the ace and 
started to clean up the club suit. Z held the trick 
with the jack. 

Another spade lead, and Z is in again with another 
club, Y discarding one of his dangerous hearts. A 
third spade lead, and a club puts Z in again, A being 
able to duck every time. On the third spade A got 
rid of a heart. Now Z has to play a diamond, on 
which A gets rid of another heart. 

At this point, if Y plays small he loses that trick, but 
may have to win all the rest, so he puts on the jack 
and leads the four, throwing B into the lead, but letting 
A discard his last heart, so that Y is forced to win the 
deuce of hearts with the trey and take home two more 
tricks, queen of diamonds and trey of spades. 

This gives Y and Z eight tricks on a contract to win 
four only. The fault lies in Z's failure to plan the 
play of the hand in advance. 

Upon winning with the ace of hearts he should have 
gone right on with three more leads of hearts, getting 
rid of dummy's three clubs. If the hearts are split he 
must lose the trey. If not, he may as well take in a 
heart trick as a club, as then he can throw the lead in 
clubs. After this it is impossible to force a trick on 
either Y or Z except one diamond. Even if he wins 
that he still makes good on his contract. 



XLII 
CONTROL OF THE LEAD AT NULLOS 

One of the most important things in playing nullos 
is the control of the lead. While it is true that taking 
the lead means winning a trick, it is also true that 
winning a trick early in the hand may save three or 
four later on. It is the old plan of ducking the first 
round of a long suit so as to catch all the high cards 
later, but just reversed. 

Every beginner at the game will naturally proceed to 
get rid of all his high cards at every opportunity to do 
so when he does not have to win a trick with them. If 
the adversaries play an ace, why not shed the king of 
that suit? After having successfully skinned his hand 
down to spot cards in this manner without taking in a 
trick he will imagine that he has been pretty lucky, but 
there will be occasions in which he will find that he has 
simply rendered himself powerless for purposes of de- 
fence at the end. 

It is an axiom in all nullo games that it is dangerous 
to be without the lowest card of your long suit, because 
the adversary that holds the lowest card may lead the 
suit until only you and he have any of it left. After 
taking out of your hand all the cards with which you 
could get rid of the lead he puts you in with your long 
suit and you take the rest of the tricks. 

The situation is often brought about without the suit 
being led more than once, the partner of the holder of 

347 



348 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



the small card giving his partner discards of the higher 
cards in that suit. The defence to this attack is to get 
the lead and take out that small card before you get 
skinned down to that one suit. In order to do this you 
must keep some of your high cards instead of throwing 
them under higher ones or you cannot control the lead. 











^ 


A 7 


2 
















* ID 7 


6 


4 














Q 4 












K 


J 


8 


♦ 


9 8 


7 


2 

^ Q 


9 6 




^ 




Y 




5 





A 
A 


9 
K 


3 
2 


2 


A 


B 


* Q 

8 


J 8 


5 


♦ 


J 


lO 


6 




Z 




♦ A 


K Q 


4- 




^ 


lO 4 


3 












A K 


















J lo 


9 


7 6 


5 3 












♦ 


5 3 











Z dealt and bid two diamonds, showing the long 
weak suit, without tops. A passed, Y said two nullos 
and B three royals, Z and A each assisting his partner, 
the winning declaration was run up to four nullos, 
with B to lead. 

B led the singleton diamond and A took out two 
rounds with the ace and king. All the remaining dia- 
monds being in the dummy, A holds the deuce until he 
gets Z out of everything but diamonds. The third 
trick, A leads the interior nine of clubs, and B puts the 
queen under dummy's king. 

This mistake on A's part permits Y to make his con- 
tract and win the game, because the moment Z gets the 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 349 

lead he takes out that dangerous deuce of diamonds by 
leading the suit once more. B discarding another high 
spade while Y gets rid of the ace of hearts. The ten of 
hearts is then allowed to win a trick ; but after that A 
and B cannot help winning all the rest, taking the ten 
they had to take to let Y out on his contract. 

A should have foreseen that the moment Z got the 
lead he would get out the diamond, and A's play was to 
lead the ace of clubs, not the nine, so as to catch Z's 
king. In the other suits, A controls the lead and can 
always keep Z out of it, and no one else can lead the 
diamonds. 

When A followed the ace of clubs with the nine it 
would be B's business to win the trick with the jack, 
Z discarding the heart ten. The object of A's play 
being then apparent, all that B has to do is to take out 
two rounds of spades, leaving himself with the queen 
and four. Now the queen of hearts from B's hand 
allows A to put on the king, and whether Y takes the 
trick away from him with the ace or not. A is bound 
to get in on the hearts and then that fatal deuce of 
diamonds compels Z to win every remaining trick, 
which sets the contract for two tricks, instead of losing 
the game on the hand. 



XLIII 
PLAYING AGAINST THE NULLO 

In playing against a nullo, there are several points 
to be studied. The most important thing is to give the 
partner discards, and to secure them the player usually 
starts with his shortest suit, or leads an interior card 
from three or more. The next thing is to keep the 
smallest cards of suits which the declarer may be 
obliged to win at the end of the hand. 

It is astonishing how badly a nullo may be defeated 
if the adversaries can give each other discards. Here 
is an illustration of it. Those opposed to the nullo 
have all the high cards in the pack exc^ept in one suit, 
yet they defeat the contract for 600 points. The dis- 
cards are what do it. 













^ 


9 


8 


7 


5 




















* J 


10 


7 3 




















A 


K 


10 












K 


Q 


6 


4- 


♦ 


Q 


J 






A 








^ 


3 




Y 




^ 




4> 


5 


2 








A 




B 


4k 


A 


K 


Q 


4- 





J 


9 


4. 






^ M, 




JL3 





7 


5 


3 


2 


♦ 


A 


7 


2 








Z 




♦ 


K 


9 


5 


3 




^ 


J 


10 


2 
















* 9 


8 


6 




















Q 


8 


6 




















^ 10 


8 


6 4- 
















• 








350 















ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 35 1 

Z dealt and bid a spade, A one heart and Y one nullo. 
B bid no trumps and Z two nullos. When A said three 
hearts Y went three nullos. This B passed and A, 
holding such low cards in every suit, doubled, which 
he thought looked better than pursuing the hearts. 

B led the singleton ace of hearts to be out of his 
partner's way and get discards. He followed this with 
an interior diamond, the five. Z covered with the eight, 
A played the nine, forcing Y to win with the ace. Y 
led his short spade suit, B playing the nine, dummy the 
ten and A winning the trick with the ace, so as to lead 
the hearts and give his partner discards. The four and 
five of hearts allowed B to get rid of the club ace, 
Z winning with the ten of hearts and at once return- 
ing the deuce. When A played the six Y had to win 
with the eight and B got rid of another club. 

Y now led the small club, upon which B put the 
queen and led the four, which Y had to win with the 
jack. After this Y could not help himself, as he could 
not get rid of the lead, so that instead of making his 
adversaries win nine tricks, he had to win ten tricks 
himself, his contract being set for 600 points, which 
only goes to show how many tricks one may be able to 
win with a poor hand if the opponents know how to 
give them to you. 

This trick of getting the player with a long suit out 
of all the other suits so that he cannot get rid of the 
lead at the end, when he particularly wants to do so, is 
a part of the game that requires skilful management. 

Here is an example of the manner in which two 
players who are wide awake to the situation and who 



352 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



know just what has to be done and how to do it may 
take advantage of an exposed hand and kill it, in spite 
of anything the declarer can do to protect it; but it 
must be observed that the smallest slip in the attack 
would let the declaration go through. 









^ 


• J 


lO 6 










♦ Q 


7 


3 


2 








J 


2 








9 


4. 


# 


> J 


9 


6 


4* 


^ A 






Y 




9? K Q 7 2 


A J 


9 


8 


6 


A 




B 


* A K lO 5 


A 


9 


3 




A A 




JL^ 


Q 


♦ A 


Q 


lO 






Z 




♦ K 5 3 




^ 


' 8 


5 


3 










Jk ... 


.... 


• *■ • 










K 


lO 


8 


7 6 5 4 








# 


• 8 


7 


2 





Z dealt and bid two diamonds. A said two no- 
trumps and Y bid three nullos. B assisted his partner 
with three no-trumps, Z bidding four nullos, A four 
no-trumps, Y five nullos, and finally six on A's re- 
fusal to go further than five no-trumps. 

With his small cards in three suits and a singleton 
to lead, B did not believe he and his partner could be 
forced to win twelve tricks out of the thirteen, so he 
doubled, and when all passed the double he led the 
queen of diamonds. 

A won the trick with the ace, Z dropping the ten and 
Y the jack. This made it easy for A to place the deuce 
of diamonds alone in Y's hand or in B's, and no matter 
in which hand it is, A can force Z into the lead with 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 353 

the last of the diamonds by playing the nine first. If 
Z wins it every diamond in his hand is high. If Z 
ducks the nine, the trey puts him in. 

But before making this play it is necessary to strip 
Z's hand of all the other suits or he will exhaust 
the diamonds and then throw the lead by playing 
hearts or spades. The problem for A and B, therefore, 
is not only to get dummy's hand down to nothing ex- 
cept diamonds but to arrange for A to be in the lead, 
so that he can play diamonds when the proper time 
comes. 

A started with the interior heart, the nine. Y 
ducked it with the six and B put on the king. B re- 
turned the interior heart seven, Z dropping the five, 
A playing ace and Y the jack. At this point A was 
afraid that Y held the queen of hearts and that an- 
other heart might let him in. Then if it is Y that holds 
the deuce of diamonds he can lead it, making dummy 
take the trick with the king, when B does not follow 
suit, and lead a third round. After that the suit is 
dead, although the contract is set, but with small loss. 

Fearing to lose his advantage, A shifted to the 
spade ten and Y began to see his danger. If the trey 
and nine of diamonds are split he may still make his 
contract by winning this spade trick with the jack, lead- 
ing the diamond and hoping for a discard of the heart 
ten. If the diamonds are both in one hand, his con- 
tract is hopeless, but he may escape with a one-trick 
loss. 

B saw through the scheme and took the trick away 
from him with the spade king, returning the five, which 
threw A back into the lead. 



354 ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



Now A has a nice little problem before him. If he 
takes out dummy's last spade and leaves him with the 
trey of hearts, Y makes his contract if he is not obliged 
to win the heart trick when dummy leads the small one, 
as Z need not win more than one diamond. If A leads 
the heart now, and Y has the ten, A can never get in 
again to lead a diamond, as B will probably be com- 
pelled to take all the rest of the tricks in the club suit. 

The ability to lead diamonds when the time came 
being the vital point of the hand, A took a chance on 
the heart, keeping the spade for re-entry. Y put on the 
ten. Fortunatelv B was alive to the situation and took 
the trick away from him with the queen of hearts, lead- 
ing a third round of spades. This A won and played 
the nine of diamonds, which Z ducked, but he was 
forced to win the next lead and all the rest of the 
tricks, the contract being set for 400 points. 

AH through this hand Y is helpless to save his 
dummy from its fate. Had he been allowed to hold the 
first spade trick with the jack and to lead the diamond, 
he would have seen, the moment B refused diamonds, 
that his play was to put on the king and have the suit 
done with at once by leading another round, discarding 
the ten of hearts from his own hand. On the small 
heart from dummy, Y gets rid of the club queen, and 
A or B would have to win the rest. 

This would have let Y off with a loss of only one 
trick on his contract, but B's shrewdness in overtaking 
both the spade and the heart at the critical moments in 
the play cost Y just three tricks. 



THE LAWS OF AUCTION 

Reprinted by permission of, and Copyright , 19 13, hy 
The Whist Club of New York 



Revised to November, 1913 



THE RUBBER 

1. The partners first winning two games win the rubber. 
When the first two games decide the rubber, a third is not 
played. 

SCORING 

2. Each side has a trick score and a score for all other 
counts, generally known as the honor score. In the trick 
score the only entries made are points for tricks won (see 
Law 3), which count both toward the game and in the 
total of the rubber. 

All other points, including honors, penalties, slam, little 
slam, and undertricks, are recorded in the honor score, 
which counts only in the total of the rubber. 

3. When the declarer wins the number of tricks bid or 
more, each above six counts on the trick score : two points 
when spades are trumps, six when clubs are trumps, seven 
when diamonds are trumps, eight when hearts are trumps, 
nine when royal spades are trumps, and te;i when the 
declaration is no trump. 

4. A game consists of thirty points made by tricks alone. 
Every deal is played out, whether or not during it the 
game be concluded, and any points made (even if in ex- 
cess of thirty) are counted. 

5. The ace, king, queen, knave, and ten of the trump 
suit are the honors; when no trump is declared, the aces 
are the honors. 

355 



356 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



6. Honors are credited to the original holders; they are 
valued as follows : 

When a Trump is Declared. 
3^ honors held between partners equal value of 2 tricks. 



4 
5 
4 
4 
5 



(i 



(< 



i( 



({ 



H. 



it 



in 1 hand 

''1 '* ( 5th in 

\ partner's 
" 1 "] hand 



( ( 



< ( 



4 
5 
8 
9 
10 



When No Trump is Declared. 
3 aces held between partners count 30 

5 '' " in one hand '* 100 

7. Slam is made when partners take thirteen tricks. t 
It counts 40 points in the honor score. 

8. Little slam is made when partners take twelve 
tricks, t It counts 20 points in the honor score. 

9. The value of honors, slam, or little slam, is not af- 
fected by doubling or redoubling. 

lb. At the conclusion of a rubber the trick and' honor 
scores of each side are added and 250 additional points 
added to the score of the winners of the rubber. The 
size of the rubber is the difference between the completed 
scores. If the score of the losers of the rubber exceed 
that of the winners, the losers win the amount of the 
excess. 



*Frequently called "simple honors." 

t Law 84 prohibits a revoking side from scoring slam, and provides 
that tricks received by the declarer as penalty for a revoke shall not en- 
title him to a slam not otherwise obtained. 

X Law 84 prohibits a revoking side from scoring little slam, and pro- 
vides that tricks received by the declarer as penalty for a revoke shall 
not entitle him to a little slam not otherwise obtained. If a declarer 
bid 7 and take twelve tricks he counts 20 for little slam, although his 
declaration fails. 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 357 

11. When a rubber is started with the agreement that 
the play shall terminate (i, e., no new deal shall com- 
mence) at a specified time, and the rubber is unfinished 
at that hour, the score is made up as it stands, 125 being 
added to the score of the winners of a game. A deal if 
started must be finished. 

12. A proved error in the honor score may be corrected 
at any time before the score of the rubber has been made 
up and agreed upon. 

13. A proved error in the trick score may be corrected 
at any time before a declaration has been made in the 
following game, or, if it occur in the final game of the 
rubber, before the score has been made up and agreed 
upon. 

CUTTING 

14. In cutting the ace is the lowest card ; between cards 
of otherwise equal value the heart is the lowest, the dia- 
mond next, the club next, and spade the highest. 

15. Every player must cut from the same pack. 

16. Should a player expose more than one card, the 
highest is his cut. 

FORMING TABLES 

17. Those first in the room have the prior right to 
play. Candidates of equal standing decide their order 
by cutting; those who cut lowest play first. 

18. Six players constitute a complete table. 

19. After the table has been formed, the players cut 
to decide upon partners, the two lower play against the 
two higher. The lowest is the dealer, who has choice of 
cards and seats, and, having made his selection, must 
abide by it.* 

20. The right to succeed players as they retire is ac- 
quired by announcing the desire to do so, and such an- 
nouncements, in the order made, entitle candidates to fill 
vacancies as they occur. 

*He may consult his partner before making his decision. 



358 ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 

CUTTING OUT 

21. If, at the end of a rubber, admission be claimed 
by one or two candidates, the player or players who have 
played the greatest number of consecutive rubbers with- 
draw; when all have plaved the same nuraxier, they cut 
to decide upon the outgoers; the highest are out."^ 

RIGHT OF ENTRY 

22. At the end of a rubber a candidate is not entitled 
to enter a table unless he declare his intention before any 
player cut, either for partners, for a new rubber, or foi 
cutting out. 

27,. In the formation of new tables candidates who have 
not played at an existing table have the prior right oi 
entry. Others decide their right to admission by cutting. 

24. When one or more players belonging to an existing 
table aid in making up a new one, which cannot be formed 
without him, in which case he may retain his position 
cut out. 

25. A player belonging to one table who enters another, 
or announces a desire to do so, forfeits his rights at his 
original table, unless the new table cannot be formed 
without him or them, he or they shall be the last to 
at his original table by announcing his intention to re- 
turn as soon as his place at the new table can be filled. 

26. Should a player leave a table during the progress 
of a rubber, he may, with the consent of the three others, 
appoint a substitute to play during his absence ; but such 
appointment becomes void upon the conclusion of the rub- 
ber, and does not in any way affect the rights of the 
substitute. 

2y, If a player break up a table, the others have a prior 
right of entry elsewhere. 



*See Law 14 as to value of cards in cutting. 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 359 

SHUFFLING 

28. The pack must not be shuffled below the table nor 
so the face of any card be seen. 

29. The dealer's partner must collect the cards from 
the preceding deal and has the right to shuffle first. Each 
player has the right to shuffle subsequently. The dealei 
has the right to shuffle last, but should a card or cards 
be seen durino; his shuffling; or while giving the pack to 
be cut, he must reshuffle. , 

30. After shuffling, the cards, properly collected, must 
be placed face downward to the left of the next dealer, 
where they must remain untouched until the end of the 
current deal. 

THE DEAL 

31. Players deal in turn; the order of dealing is to 
the left. 

32. Immediately before the deal, the player on the deal- 
er's right cuts, so that each packet contains at least four 
cards. If, in or after cutting, and prior to the beginning 
of the deal, a card be exposed, or if any doubt exist as 
to the place of the cut, the dealer must reshuffle and the 
same player must cut again. 

33. After the pack has been properly cut, it should not 
be reshuffled or recut except as provided in Law 32. 

34. Should the dealer shuffle after the cut, his ad- 
versaries may also shuffle and the pack must be cut again. 

35. The fifty-two cards must be dealt face downward. 
The deal is completed when the last card is dealt. 

36. In the event of a misdeal, the same pack must be 
dealt again by the same player. 

A NEW DEAL 

^y. There must be a new deal : 

(a) If the cards be not dealt, beginning at the dealer's 
left into four packets one at a time and in regular 
rotation. 



360 ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 

(b) If, during a deal, or during the play, the pack be 

proved incorrect. 

(c) If, during a deal, any card be faced in the pack or 

exposed, on, above, or below the table. 

(d) If more than thirteen cards be dealt to any player.* 
(ej If the last card does not come in its regular order 

to the dealer. - 
(f) If the dealer omit having the pack cut, deal out of 
turn or with the adversaries' cards, and either 
adversary call attention to the fact before the 
« end of the deal and before looking at any of his 

cards. 

38. Should a correction of any offense mentioned in 
37 / not be made in time, or should an adversary v^ho has 
looked at any of his cards be the first to call attention 
to the error, the deal stands, and the game proceeds as 
if the deal had been correct, the player to the left dealing 
the next. When the deal has been v^ith the v^rong cards, 
the next dealer may take v^hichever pack he prefers. 

39. If, prior to the cut for the follow^ing deal, a pack 
be proved incorrect, the deal is void, but all prior scores 

stand.t 

The pack is not incorrect v^hen a missing card or cards 
are found in the other pack, among the quitted tricks, 
belov^ the table, or in any other place v^hich makes it 
possible that such card or cards w^ere part of the pack 
during the deal. 

40. Should three players have their proper number of 
cards, the fourth, less, the missing card or cards, if 
found, belong to him, and he, unless dummy, is answ^er- 
able for any established revoke or revokes he may have 
made just as if the missing card or cards had been con- 
tinuously in his hand. When a card is missing, any 
player may search the other pack, the quitted tricks, or 
elsev^^here for it. 

If before, during, or at the conclusion of play, one 
player hold more than the proper number of cards, and 
another less, the deal is void. 

*This error, whenever discovered, renders a new deal necessary. 

tA correct pack contains exactly fifty-two cards, one of each denom- 
ination. 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 361 



41. A player may not cut, shuffle, or deal for his part- 
ner if either adversary object. 

THE DECLARATION 

42. The dealer, having examined his hand, must declare 
to win at least one odd trick,* either with a specified suit, 
or at no trump. 

43. After the dealer has declared, each player in turn, 
beginning on the dealer's left, must pass, make a higher 
declaration, double the last declaration, or redouble a 
declaration which has been doubled, subject to the pro- 
visions of Law 54. 

44. A declaration of a greater number of tricks in a 
suit of lower value, which equals the last declaration in 
value of points, is a higher declaration; e. g., a declara- 
tion of ''three spades" is higher than ''one club.'' 

45. A player in his turn may overbid the previous ad- 
verse declaration any number of times, and may also 
overbid his partner, but he cannot overbid his own decla- 
ration which has been passed by the three others. 

46. The player who makes the final declaration'f must 
play the combined hands, his partner becoming dummy, 
unless the suit or no trump finally declared was bid by 
the partner before it was called by the final declarer, in 
which case the partner, no matter what bids have inter- 
vened, must play the combined hands. 

47. When the player of the two hands (hereinafter 
termed "the declarer") wins at least as many tricks as 
he declared, he scores the full value of the tricks won 
(see Law 3).^ 

47a. When the declarer fails to win as many tricks as 
he declares, neither he nor his adversaries score any- 
thing toward the game, but his adversaries score in their 
honor column 50 points for each undertrick (i. e., each 
trick short of the number declared). If the declaration 
be doubled, the adversaries score 100 points; if redoubled, 
200 points for each undertrick. 

*One trick more than six. 

tA declaration becomes final when it has been passed by three players. 

^¥oT amount scored by declarer, if doubled, see Laws 53 and 56. 



362 ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 

48. The loss on the dealer's original declaration of "one 
spade" is limited to 100 points, whether doubled or not, 
unless redoubled. Honors are scored as held. 

49. If a player make a declaration (other than pass- 
ing) out of turn, either adversary may demand a new 
deal, or may allow such declaration to stand, in which 
case the bidding shall continue as if the declaration had 
been in turn. 

If a player pass out of turn, the order of the bidding 
is not affected, i, e,, it is still the turn of the player to 
the left of the last declarer. The player who has passed 
out of turn may re-enter the bidding in his proper turn 
if the declaration he has passed be overbid or doubled. 

50. If a player make an insufficient or impossible decla- 
ration, either adversary may demand that it be penalized. 
The penalty for an insufficient declaration is that the 
bid is made sufficient in the declaration named and the 
partner of the declarer may not further declare unless 
an adversary subsequently bid or double. The penalty for 
an impossible declaration is that the bid is made seven 
in the suit named and the partner of the declarer may 
not further declare unless an adversary subsequently bid 
or double. Either adversary, instead of penalizing an 
impossible declaration, may demand a new deal, or that 
the last declaration made on behalf of his partnership 
become the final declaration. 

50a. If a player who has been debarred from bidding 
under Laws 50 or 65, during the period of such prohibi- 
tion, make any declaration (other than passing), either 
adversary may decide whether such declaration stand, and 
neither the offending player nor his partner may further 
participate in the bidding even if the adversaries double 
or declare. 

50&. A penalty for a declaration out of turn (see Law 
49), an insufficient or impossible declaration (see Law 
50), or a bid when prohibited (see Law 50a) may not be 
enforced if either adversary pass, double, or declare be- 
fore the penalty be demanded.* 

*When the penalty for an insufficient declaration is not demanded, the 
bid over which it was made may be repeated unless some higher bid have 
intervened. 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 363 

50c. Laws which give to either adversary the right to 
enforce a penalty, do not permit unHmited consultation. 
Either adversary may call attention to the offence and 
select the penalty, or may say, "Partner, you determine 
the penalty," or words to that effect. Any other consulta- 
tion is prohibited,* and if it take place, the right to de- 
mand any penalty is lost. The first decision made by 
either adversary is final and cannot be altered. 

51. At any time during the declaration, a question asked 
by a player concerning any previous bid must be 
answered, but, after the final declaration has been ac- 
cepted, if an adversary of the declarer inform his part- 
ner regarding any previous declaration, the declarer may 
call a lead from the adversary whose next turn it is to 
lead. If the dummy give such information to the de- 
clarer, either adversary of the declarer may call a lead. 
A player, however, at any time may ask what declaration 
is being played and the question must be answered. 

52. A declaration legitimately made cannot be changed 
after the next player pass, declare, or double. Prior to 
such action a declaration inadvertently made may be cor- 
rected. If, prior to such correction, an adversary call 
attention to an insufficient or impossible declaration, it 
may not thereafter be corrected nor may the penalty be 
avoided. 



DOUBLING AND REDOUBLING 

53. Doubling and redoubling doubles and quadruples the 
value of each trick over six, but it does not alter the 
value of a declaration; e. g., a declaration of ''three 
clubs" is higher than "two royal spades" doubled or re- 
doubled. 

54. Any declaration may be doubled and redoubled once, 
but not more; a player may not double his partner's dec- 
laration nor redouble his partner's double, but he may 

*The question, "Partner, will you select the penalty, or shall I?" is a 
form of consultation which is not permitted. 



364 ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



redouble a declaration of his partner which has been 
doubled by an adversary. 

The penalty for redoubling more than once is 100 points 
in the adverse honor score or a new deal; for doubling 
a partner's declaration, or redoubling a partner's double 
it is 50 points in the adverse honor score. Either ad- 
versary may demand any penalty enforceable under this 
law. 

■55. Doubling or redoubling reopens the bidding. When 
a declaration has been doubled or redoubled, any one 
of the three succeeding players, including the player 
whose declaration has been doubled, may, in his proper 
turn, make a further declaration of higher value. 

56. When a player whose declaration has been doubled 
wins the declared number of tricks, he scores a bonus 
of 50 points in his honor score, and a further 50 points 
for each additional trick. When he or his partner has 
redoubled, he scores 100 points for making the contract 
and an additional 100 for each extra trick. 

57. A double or redouble is a declaration, and a player 
who doubles or redoubles out of turn is subject to the 
penalty provided by Law 49. 

58. After the final declaration has been accepted, the 
play begins; the player on the left of the declarer leads. 

DUMMY 

59. As soon as the player on the left of the declarer 
leads, the declarer's partner places his cards face upward 
on the table, and the declarer plays the cards from that 
hand. 

60. The partner of the declarer has all the rights of a 
player (including the right to call attention to a lead 
from the wrong hand), until his cards are placed face 
upward on the table.'^ He then becomes the dummy, and 
takes no part whatever in the play, except that he has. 
the right: 

(a) To call the declarer's attention to the fact that too 
many or too few cards have been played to a 
trick ; 

♦The penalty is determined by the declarer (see Law 66). 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 365 

(b) to correct an improper claim of either adversary; 

(c) to call attention to a trick erroneously taken by 

either side. 

(d) to participate in the discussion of any disputed 

question of fact after it has arisen between the 
declarer and either adversary ; 

(e) to correct any erroneous score ; 

(f) to consult with and advise the declarer as to which 

penalty to exact for a revoke ; 

(g) to ask the declarer whether he have any of a suit 

he has renounced. 

The dummy, if he have not intentionally looked at any 
card in the hand of a player, has also the follow^ing addi- 
tional rights: 

(h) To call the attention of the declarer to an estab- 
lished adverse revoke : 

(i) to call the attention of the declarer to a card ex- 
posed by an adversary or to an adverse lead out 
of turn. 

61. Should the dummy call attention to any other inci- 
dent in the play in consequence of v^hich any penalty 
might have been exacted, the declarer may not exact such 
penalty. Should the dummy avail himself of rights (h) 
or (i) , after intentionally looking at a card in the hand 
of a player, the declarer m^ay not exact any penalty for 
the offence in question. 

62. If the dummy, by touching a card or otherwise, 
suggest the play of one of his cards, either adversary may 
require the declarer to play or not to play such card. 

62a. If the dummy call to the attention of the declarer 
that he is about to lead from the v^rong hand, either 
adversary may require that the lead be made from that 
hand. 

63. Dummy is not subject to the revoke penalty; if he 
revoke and the error be not discovered until the trick be 
turned and quitted, whether by the rightful winners or 
not, the trick must stand. 

64. A card from the declarer's hand is not played until 
actually quitted, but should he name or touch a card in 
the dummy, such card is played unless he say, 'T arrange," 
or words to that effect. If he simultaneously touch two 
or more such cards, he may elect which to play. 



366 ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 

CARDS EXPOSED BEFORE PLAY 

65. After the deal and before the declaration has been 
finally determined, if any player lead or expose a card, 
his partner may not thereafter bid or double during that 
declaration,* and the card is subject to call.f When the 
partner of the offending player is the original leader, the 
declarer may also prohibit the initial lead of the suit of 
the exposed card. 

66. After the final declaration has been accepted and 
before the lead, if the partner of the proper leader expose 
or lead a card, the declarer may treat it as exposed or 
may call a suit from the proper leader. A card exposed 
by the leader, after the final declaration and before the 
lead, is subject to call. 

CARDS EXPOSED DURING PLAY 

67. After the original lead, all cards exposed by the 
declarer's adversaries are liable to be called and must be 
left face upward on the table. 

68. The following are exposed cards : 

(i) Two or more cards played simultaneously; 

(2) a card dropped face upward on the table, even 

though snatched up so quickly that it cannot be 
named ; 

(3) a card so held by a player that his partner sees any 

portion of its face; 

(4) a card mentioned by either adversary as being held 

in his or his partner's hand. 

69. A card dropped on the floor or elsewhere below the 
table, or so held that it is seen by an adversary but not 
by the partner, is not an exposed card. 

70. Two or more cards played simultaneously by either 
of the declarer's adversaries give the declarer the right 
to call any one of such cards to the current trick and to 
treat the other card or cards as exposed. 

'\ 

t*See Law 50a. 
flf more than one card be exposed, all may be called. 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 367 

70a. Should an adversary of the declarer expose his 
last card before his partner play to the twelfth trick, the 
two cards in his partner's hand become exposed, must be 
laid face upward on the table, and are subject to call. 

71. If, without waiting for his partner to play, either 
of the declarer's adversaries play or lead a winning card, 
as against the declarer and dummy and continue (with- 
out waiting for his partner to play) to lead several such 
cards, the declarer may demand that the partner of the 
. player in fault win, if he can, the first or any other of 
these tricks. The other cards thus improperly played are 
exposed. 

^2, If either or both of the declarer's adversaries throw 
his or their cards face upward on the table, such cards 
are exposed and liable to be called; but if either ad- 
versary retain his hand, he cannot be forced to abandon 
it. Cards exposed by the declarer are not liable to be 
called. If the declarer say, 'T have the rest," or any 
words indicating the remaining tricks or any number 
thereof are his, he may be required to place his cards 
face upward on the table. He is not then allowed to 
call any cards his adversaries may have exposed, nor to 
take any finesse not previously proved a winner unless 
he announce it when making his claim. 

73. If a player who has rendered himself liable to have 
the highest or lowest of a suit called (Laws 80, 86, and 
92) fail to play as directed, or if, when called on to lead 
one suit, he lead another, having in his hand one or more 
cards of the suit demanded (Laws 66, 76, and 93), or if, 
M^hen called upon to win or lose a trick, he fail to do so 
when he can (Laws 71, 80, and 92), or if, when called 
upon not to play a suit, he fail to play as directed (Laws 
65 and (i(i^, he is liable to the penalty for revoke (Law 
84) unless such play be corrected before the trick be 
turned and quitted. 

74. A player cannot be compelled to play a card which 
would oblige him to revoke. 

75. The call of an exposed card may be repeated until 
it be played. 



368 ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 

LEADS OUT OF TURN 

j(y. If either adversary of the declarer's lead out of 
turn, the declarer may either treat the card so led as ex- 
posed or may call a suit as soon as it is the turn of either 
adversary to lead. Should they lead simultaneously, the 
lead from the proper hand stands, and the other card is 
exposed. 

yj. If the declarer lead out of turn, either from his own 
hand or dummy, he incurs no penalty, but he may not 
rectify the error unless directed to do so by an adver- 
sary.* If the second hand play, the lead is accepted. 

78. If an adversary of the declarer lead out of turn, 
and the declarer follow either from his own hand or 
dummy, the trick stands. If the declarer before playing 
refuse to accept the lead, the leader may be penalized as 
provided in Law y(). 

79. If a player called on to lead a suit have none of 
it, the penalty is paid. 



CARDS PLAYED [N ERROR 

80. Should the fourth hand, not being dummy or de- 
clarer, play before the second, the latter may be required 
to play his highest or lowest card of the suit led,, or to 
win or lose the trick. In such case, if the second hand 
be void of the suit led, the declarer in lieu of any other 
penalty may call upon the second hand to play the high- 
est card of any designated suit. If he name a suit of 
which the second hand is void, the penalty is p^id.f 

81. If any one, except dummy, omit playing to a trick, 
and such error be not corrected until he has played to 
the next, the adversaries or either of them may claim a 
new deal; should either decide that the deal stand, the 
surplus card (at the end of the hand) is considered played 

*The rule in Law 50^ as to consultations governs the right of adver- 
saries to consult as to whether such direction be given, 

tShould the declarer play third hand before the second hand, the 
fourth hand may without penalty play before his partner. 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 369 

to the imperfect trick, but does not constitute a revoke 
therein.* 

82. When any one, except dummy, plays two or more 
cards to the same trick and the mistake is not corrected, 
he is answerable for any consequent revokes he may 
make. When the error is detected during the play, the 
tricks may be counted face downward, to see if any con- 
tain more than four cards ; should this be the case, the 
trick which contains a surplus card or cards may be ex- 
amined and such card or cards restored to the original 
holder.t 

THE REVOKE^: 

S^. A revoke occurs when a player, other than dummy, 
holding one or more cards of the suit led, plays a card of 
a different suit. It becomes an established revoke when 
the trick in which it occurs is turned and quitted by the 
rightful winners (i. e., the hand removed from the trick 
after it has been turned face downward on the table), 
or when either the revoking player or his partner, 
whether in turn or otherwise, leads or plays to the follow- 
ing trick. 

84. The penalty for each established revoke is : 

(a) When the declarer revokes, he cannot score for 

tricks and his adversaries add 100 points to their 
score in the honor column, in addition to any 
penalty which he may have incurred for not 
making good his declaration. 

(b) When either of the adversaries revokes, the declarer 

may either add 100 points to his score in the 
honor column or take three tricks from his oppo- 
nents and add them to his own.§ Such tricks may 
assist the declarer to make good his declaration, 
but shall not entitle him to score any bonus in 
the honor column in case the declaration has been 



* As to the right of adversaries to consult, see Law 50c. 

tEither adversary may decide which card shall be considered played 
to the trick which contains more than four cards. 

X See Law 73. 

§ The dummy may advise the declarer which penalty to exact. 



370 ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 

doubled or redoubled, nor to a slam or little slam 
not otherwise obtained.* 

(c) When, during the play of a deal, more than one 
revoke is made by the same side, the penalty for 
each revoke after the first is loo points. 

The value of their honors is the only score that can 
be made by a revoking side. 

85. A player may ask his partner if he have a card of 
the suit w^hich he has renounced; should the question be 
asked before the trick be turned and quitted, subsequent 
turning and quitting does not establish a revoke, and the 
error may be corrected unless the question be answered 
in the negative, or unless the revoking player or his part- 
ner have led or played to the following trick. 

86. If a player correct his mistake in time to save a 
revoke, any player or players who have followed him may 
withdraw his or their cards and substitute others, and 
the cards so withdrawn are not exposed. If the player 
in fault be one of the declarer's adversaries, the card 
played in error is exposed, and the declarer may call it 
whenever he pleases, or he may require the ofTender to 
play his highest or lowest card of the suit to the trick, 
but this penalty cannot be exacted from the declarer. 

87. At the end of the play the claimants of a revoke 
may search all the tricks. If the cards have been mixed, 
the claim may be urged and proved if possible; but no 
proof is necessary and the claim is established if, after 
it is made, the accused player or his partner mix the 
cards before they have been sufficiently examined by the 
adversaries. 

88. A revoke cannot be claimed after the cards have 
been cut for the following deal. 

89. Should both sides revoke, the only score permitted 
is for honors. In such case, if one side revoke more than 
once, the penalty of 100 points for each extra revoke is 
scored by the other side. 

♦The value of the three tricks, doubled or redoubled, as the case may- 
be, is counted in the trick score. 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 37I 



GENERAL RULES 

90. A trick turned and quitted may not be looked at 
(except under Law 82) until the end of the play. The 
penalty for the violation of this law is 25 points in the 
adverse honor score. 

91. Any player during the play of a trick or after the 
four cards are played, and before the trick is turned and 
quitted, may demand that the cards be placed before their 
respective players. 

92. When an adversary of the declarer, before his part- 
ner plays, calls attention to the trick, either by saying 
it is his, or, without being requested to do so, by naming 
his card or drawing it toward him, the declarer may re- 
quire such partner to play his highest or lowest card of 
the suit led, or to win or lose the trick. 

93. An adversary of the declarer may call his partner's 
attention to the fact that he is about to play or lead out 
of turn ; but if, during the play, he make any unauthorized 
reference to any incident of the play, the declarer may 
call a suit from the adversary whose next turn it is to 
lead. 

94. In all cases where a penalty has been incurred, the 
offender is bound to give reasonable time for the decision 
of his adversaries. 

NEW CARDS 

95. Unless a pack be imperfect, no player has the right 
to call for one new pack. When fresh cards are de- 
manded, two packs must be furnished. When they are 
produced during a rubber, the adversaries of the player 
demanding them have the choice of the new cards. If 
it be the beginning of a new rubber, the dealer, whether 
he or one of his adversaries call for the new cards, has 
the choice. New cards cannot be substituted after the 
pack has been cut for a new deal. 

96. A card or cards torn or marked must be replaced 
by agreement or new cards furnished. 



372 ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



BYSTANDERS 

97. While a bystander, by agreement among the play- 
ers, may decide any question, he should not say anything 
unless appealed to ; and if he make any remark which 
calls attention to an oversight affecting the score, or to 
the exaction of a penalty, he is liable to be called upon by 
the players to pay the stakes (not extras) lost. 



ETIQUETTE OF AUCTION 

In the game of Auction slight intimations convey much 
information. The code succinctly states laws which fix 
penalties for an offense. To offend against etiquette is 
far more serious than to offend against a law; for in the 
latter case the offender is subject to the prescribed 
penalties; in the former his adversaries are without 
redress. 

1. Declarations should be made in a simple manner, 
thus : "one heart," "one no trump," "pass," "double" ; they 
should be made orally and not by gesture. 

2. Aside from his legitimate declaration, a player should 
not show by word or gesture the nature of his hand, or 
his pleasure or displeasure at a play, bid, or double. 

3. If a player demand that the cards be placed, he 
should do so for his own information and not to call his 
partner's attention to any card or play. 

4. An opponent of the declarer should not lead until 
the preceding trick has been turned and quitted; nor, 
after having led a winning card, should he draw another 
from his hand before his partner has played to the cur- 
rent trick. 

5. A card should not be played with such emphasis as 
to draw attention to it, nor should a player detach one 
card from his hand and subsequently play another. 

6. A player should not purposely incur a penalty be- 
cause he is willing to pay it, nor should he make a sec- 
ond revoke to conceal a first. 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 373 

7. Conversation during the play should be avoided, as 
it may annoy players at the table or at other tables in the 
room. 

8. The dummy should not leave his seat to watch his 
partner play. He should not call attention to the score 
nor to any card or cards that he or the other players hold. 

9. If a player say, 'T have the rest," or any words in- 
dicating that the remaining tricks, or any number thereof, 
are his, and one or both of the other players expose his 
or their cards, or request him to play out the hand, he 
should not allow any information so obtained to influence 
his play. 

10. If a player concede, in error, one or more tricks, 
the concession should stand. 

11. A player having been cut out of one table should 
not seek admission in another unless willing to cut for the 
privilege of entry. 

12. A player should not look at any of his cards until 
the end of the deal. 

THE LAWS OF THREE HUNDRED AUCTION 

The Laws of Auction govern the three-hand game 
except as follows : 

(i) Three players take part in a game and four con- 
stitute a complete table. Each plays for himself; there 
are no partners, except as provided in Law 7. 

(2) The player who cuts lowest selects his seat and 
the cards with which he deals first. The player who cuts 
next lowest sits on the dealer's left. 

(3) The cards are dealt in four packets, one for each 
of the three players and one for the dummy.* The 
dummy hand is not touched until after the final declara- 
tion has been made. 

(4) The dealer declares, and the bidding continues as 
in Auction, except that each player bids exclusively on 
his own account. 

(5) The penalty for a declaration out of turn is that 
each of the other players receives '50 points in his honor 
score. A declaration out of turn does not affect the right 
of the player whose turn it is to declare, unless both he 

*This hand is generally dealt opposite to the dealer. 



374 ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



and the other player, either by passing or declaring, ac- 
cept the improper declaration. 

(6) If a player declare out of turn, and the succeeding 
player either pass or declare, the third player may de- 
mand that the mistake be corrected as is provided in 
Law 5. In such case the player who first declared out of 
turn is the only one penalized. 

(7) The player making the final declaration, i. e.y a 
declaration that has been passed by both of the others, 
plays his own hand and that of the dummy against the 
two others, who then, and for that particular hand, as- 
sume the relationship of partners. 

(8) It is advisable that the game be played at a round 
table so that the hand of the dummy can be placed in 
front of the declarer without obliging any player to move ; 
but, in the event of a square table being used, the two 
players who become the adversaries of the declarer should 
sit opposite each other, the dummy being opposite the 
declarer. At the end of the play the original positions 
should be resumed. 

(9) If, after the deal has been completed and before 
the conclusion of the declaration, any player expose a 
card, each of his adversaries counts 50 points in his honor 
score, and the declarer, if he be not the offender, may 
call upon the player on his left to lead or not to lead the 
suit of the exposed card. If a card be exposed by the 
declarer after the final declaration, there is no penalty, 
but if exposed by an adversary of the declarer, it is sub- 
ject to the same penalty as in Auction. 

(10) If a player double out of turn, each of his ad- 
versaries counts 100 points in his respective honor score, 
and the player whose declaration has been doubled may 
elect whether the double shall stand. The bidding is then 
resumed, but if the double shall be disallowed, the decla- 
ration may not be doubled by the other player. 

(11) The rubber continues until two games have been 
won by the same player ; it may consist of two, three, or 
four games. 

(12) When the declarer fulfils his contract, he scores 
as in Auction. When he fails to do so, both of his ad- 
versaries score as in Auction, 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 375 

(13) Honors are scored by each player separately, 
i. e,, each player who holds one honor scores the value 
of a trick; each player who holds two honors scores twice 
the value of a trick ; a player who holds three honors 
scores three times the value of a trick; a player who 
holds four honors scores eight times the value of a trick ; 
and a player who holds five honors scores ten times the 
value of a trick. In a no-trump declaration, each ace 
counts ten, and four held by one player count 100. The 
declarer counts separately both his own honors and those 
held by the dummy. 

(14) A player scores 125 points for winning a game, 
a further 125 points for winning a second game, and 250 
points for winning a rubber. 

(15) At the end of the rubber, all scores of each player 
are added and his total obtained. Each one wins from 
or loses to each other the difference between their re- 
spective totals. A player may win from both the others, 
lose to one and win from the other, or lose to both. 

THE LAWS OF DUPLICATE AUCTION 

Duplicate Auction is governed by the Laws of Auction, 
except in so far as they are modified by the following 
special laws : 

A. Scoring. In Duplicate Auction there are neither 
games nor rubbers. Each deal is scored just as in Auc- 
tion, with the addition that whenever a pair makes 30 
or more for tricks as the score of one deal, it adds as a 
premium 125 points in its honor column. 

B. Irregularities in the Hands. If a player have either 
morie or less than his correct number of cards, the course 
to be pursued is determined by the time of the discovery 
of the irregularity. 

(i) When the irregularity is discovered before or dur- 
ing the original play : There must be a new deal. 

(2) When the irregularity is discovered at the time the 
cards are taken up for overplay and before such 
overplay has begun : It must be sent back to the 
table from which it came, and the error be there 
rectified. 



3/6 ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 



(3) When the irregularity is not discovered until after 
the overplay has begun : In two-table duplicate 
there must be a new deal ; but in a game in which 
the same deals are played at more than tw^o 
tables, the hands must be rectified as is provided 
above and then passed to the next table without 
overplay at the table at which the error was 
discovered ; in which case, if a player have less 
than thirteen cards and his adversary the corre- 
sponding surplus, each pair takes the average 
score for that deal; if, however, his partner have 
the corresponding surplus, his pair is given the 
lowest score and his opponents the highest score 
made at any table for that deal. 

C. Playing the cards. Each player, when it is his turn 
to play, must place his card, face upw^ard, before him and 
toward the centre of the table. He must allow it to re- 
main upon the table in this position until all have played 
to the trick, when he must turn it over and place it face 
downward, nearer to himself; if he or his partner have 
won the trick, the card should point toward his partner 
and himself; otherwise it should point toward the 
adversaries. 

The declarer may either play dummy's cards or may 
call them by name whenever it is dummy's turn to play 
and ha\^ dummy play them for him. 

A trick is turned and quitted when all four players have 
turned and ceased to touch their respective cards. 

The cards must be left in the order in vv^hich they were 
played until the scores of the deal have been recorded. 

D. The Revoke. A revoke may be claimed at any time 
before the last trick of the deal in which it occurs has 
been turned and quitted and the scores of that deal agreed 
upon and recorded, but not thereafter. 

E. Error in Score. A proved error in the trick or 
honor score may be corrected at any time before the final 
score of the contestants for the deal or deals played be- 
fore changing opponents has been made up and agreed 
upon. 

E. A New Deal. A new deal is not allowed for any 
reason, except as provided in Laws of Auction 36 and 37. 
If there be an impossible declaration some other penalty 



ROYAL AUCTION BRIDGE 377 

must be selected.* A declaration (other than passing) 
out of turn must stand ;t as a penalty, the adversaries 
score 50 honor points in their honor column and the part- 
.ner of the offending player cannot thereafter participate 
in the bidding of that deal. 

The penalty for the offense mentioned in Law 81 is 
50 points in the adverse honor score. 

I G. Team Matches. A match consists of any agreed 
number of deals, each of w^hich is played once at each 
table. 

The contesting teams must be of equal size, but each 
may consist of any agreed number of pairs (not less than 
two). One half of each team, or as near thereto as 
possible, sits north and south; the other half east and 
west. 

In case the teams are composed of an odd number of 
pairs, each team, in making up its total score, adds, as 
though won by it, the average score of all pairs seated 
in the positions opposite to its odd pair. 

In making up averages, fractions are disregarded and 
the nearest whole numbers taken, unless it be necessary 
to take the fraction into account to avoid a tie, in which 
case the match is won ''by the fraction of a point." The 
team making the higher score wins the match. 

H. Pair Contests. The score of a pair is compared 
only with other pairs who have played the same hands. 
A pair obtains a plus score for the contest when its net 
total is more than the average ; a minus score for the con- 
test when its net total is less than the average. 

*See Law 50. The same ruling applies to Law 54. 

tThis includes a double or redouble out of turn. See Law 57. 



